Human rights body to discuss 'prison overcrowding litigation'

Prison numbers in Ireland rose to 5,800 by December 2025. Maximum capacity of just over 4,700. File Picture: iStock

The State’s human rights commission and the prisons’ inspector are to discuss legal concerns over potential breaches of European laws caused by the prison overcrowding crisis.

Chief Inspector of Prisons Mark Kelly told the Oireachtas justice committee that he was due to meet the head of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (Ihrec) on the subject.