Prison Service fighting 'losing battle' against overcrowding

On Monday, the prison population had reached 5,782, more than 1,000 above the official bed capacity of 4,702, with 614 inmates sleeping on mattresses on the floor of shared cells.

The Irish Prison Service is fighting a “losing battle” against overcrowding, with the current system at “breaking point”, penal reformers have said.

Overcrowding in prisons has reached “unprecedented levels”, resulting in deteriorating conditions for both inmates and prison staff, the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) has warned.

Publishing its 2024 Progress in the Penal System report, it said prisons were often being left to house people with untreated mental health issues and addiction problems, instead of the social services.

The report said the prison population broke the 5,000 landmark in June 2024 — with the number of inmates sleeping on mattresses on the floor of cells increasing from 83 at the start of 2024 to 213 at the end of the year.

IPRT executive director Saoirse Brady said under different circumstances they would be highlighting greater progress in several areas where the Irish Prison Service (IPS) had made “concerted efforts”, such as increased attendance at education and training in 2024.

“However, in the current context, it is clear the IPS is fighting a losing battle against overcrowding in a system at breaking point,” Ms Brady said.  

IPRT also has grave concerns surrounding conditions and treatment in Irish prisons reaching the threshold of inhuman and degrading.

She said both the chief inspector of prisons and the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture have described conditions in Irish prisons as such.

Ms Brady said the crisis had only worsened this year: “The situation has continued to deteriorate in 2025 as the prison estate is currently operating at 123% capacity, with upwards of 5,700 people in a system with beds for 4,702 people.

“Regardless of the pressures on the system, the State has a legal duty to ensure that a person’s basic right to dignity is upheld. 

With almost 600 people sleeping on mattresses on the floor beside a toilet, a record number of deaths in custody and increased levels of violence, it cannot be said that the State is fulfilling this duty.

On Monday, the prison population had reached 5,782, more than 1,000 above the official bed capacity of 4,702 — some 23% above capacity. A total of 614 inmates were sleeping on mattresses on the floor of shared cells.

The report said 77% of those sentenced to prison were serving sentences of 12 months or less. It said accompanying the rise in people being sent to prison by the courts has been a major decrease in the number of people being given community sanctions by the courts.

The number of community service orders has dropped from 2,791 in 2019 to 1,723 in 2024. The IPRT said the funding emphasis by governments has been on custodial sanctions rather than community sanctions.

The IPRT said it was “critical” that all the policy documents emphasising alternatives to custody were put into practice, and funded to do so.

The report said prisoners were having to dry towels in shared cells beside toilets, and also had to eat their food in the same cells.

In addition to a significant increase in the number of people held on remand — charged and awaiting trial — there has been a rise in those on remand sharing a cell.

The report said 2,078 prisoners were waiting to be seen by a psychologist at the start of 2024 — accounting for 46% of the prison population.

“Far too often, the prison system is left to care for people who have been failed by social services and health systems that have not responded to their underlying needs and trauma,” Ms Brady said. 

“This is evident in the number of people entering and leaving prison with no fixed abode, in the lengthy waiting lists for mental health and addiction supports.”