Crime by offenders on bail rises 20% as prison overcrowding hits crisis levels

Cork Prison has experienced one of the worst increases in overcrowding during 2025, and is now 132% over capacity. Picture: Dan Linehan

Recorded crimes committed by people already on bail for other offences has jumped by 20% in the last two years.

Cork City and Dublin’s north inner city show the sharpest rises in urban areas, with a large number of county divisions also experiencing significant increases.