Prison service currently operating 'far beyond its limits', director general warns 

In the annual report for 2024, director general Caron McCaffrey said: “The past two years have demanded a great deal from the IPS, perhaps more than any point in recent memory. Picture: Dan Linehan

The capacity of Irish prisons has been stretched “far beyond its limits”, the head of the prison service has warned.

In the Irish Prison Service (IPS) annual report 2024, director general Caron McCaffrey said pressures on the system escalated last year.

She said this was reflected in a “staggering” increase — of over 150% — in the number of inmates sleeping on mattresses on the floor of an occupied cell.

She said prisoner numbers rose from 4,696 at the start of 2024 and finished at 5,001 — a 6% rise.

This means the prison system was operating at 111% above maximum capacity.

But since the end of 2024, the situation has deteriorated even further, with prisoner numbers at 5,581 on August 13 — or 120% above capacity.

The number of prisoners now on mattresses on the floor of cells is 496 — more than twice that of last December and six times that of January 2024.

What's your view on this issue?

You can tell us here

Prison managers are bracing themselves for even greater levels of overcrowding when the courts reopen later this month.

In the annual report for 2024, being published on Thursday, Ms McCaffrey said: “The past two years have demanded a great deal from the IPS, perhaps more than any point in recent memory.

“We’ve faced a steep rise in committals, longer sentences, and population levels that have stretched our capacity far beyond its limits. These pressures have not only tested our operations, they’ve tested those who work and live in our prisons.”

Key statistics show:

• Daily average prisoner numbers stood at 4,941 last December, compared to 4,582 the year before and 4,122 in December 2023;
• 34% of people (2,454 people) committed to prison in 2024 were from Dublin, 12% (835 people) were homeless, 7% (518) were from Cork, and 5% (365) were from Limerick;
• There was a 29% increase in the number of people sentenced to less than three months (from 783 in 2023 to 1,012 in 2024);
• 2,537 inmates were referred to prison psychology services in 2024 — including 874 for mental health/emotional difficulties, 255 for violent offences, 301 for sexual violence, and 213 for life sentences;
• 350 prisoners with serious or severe mental disorders were on the caseload of Central Mental Hospital psychiatrists;
• 64% of inmates had a junior cert education or less;
• Average annual cost of a person in jail jumped by 12% — from €88,500 in 2023 to €99,000 in 2024

The report said the Government allocated €525m to the IPS in Budget 2025, an 18% increase on 2024.

Last July, justice minister Jim O’Callaghan announced a €495m commitment to the IPS under National Development Plan 2026 to 2030, which pledges to build 1,500 extra prison spaces.