Ireland has 'very high' prison density rate

Rate of incarceration increased by 12% between 2022 and 2023, international report finds

The figures are based on January 2023 data and, since then the density rate now runs at 110 prisoners per 100 spaces. File picture

Ireland is ranked as having a “very high” prison density rate, with over 99 inmates per 100 spaces, according to an international report.

The figures are based on January 2023 data and, since then the density rate now runs at 110 prisoners per 100 spaces.

A detailed report from the Council of Europe puts Ireland, along with 10 other countries, in the “very high” prison density category.

It said the average prison density in Europe was 88 prisoners per 100 spaces and that Ireland was operating at “full capacity”.

“Seven prison administrations reported a prison density of more than 105 inmates per 100 places, an indicator of severe overcrowding: Cyprus (166 inmates per 100 places), Romania (120), France (119), Belgium (115), Hungary (112), Italy (109), and Slovenia (107).

“Other prison administrations with very high prison density were Greece (103), Sweden (102), North Macedonia (101), Croatia (101), Türkiye (100), Ireland (99), Portugal (98), Finland (97), Denmark (97), England and Wales (UK) (97), and Azerbaijan (96).” 

The report said the rate of incarceration in Ireland increased by 12% between 2022 and 2023.

The overcrowding situation in Irish prisons has worsened significantly since the start of 2023, from 4,432 to 4,965 on Thursday.

The overcrowding situation in Irish prisons has worsened significantly since the start of 2023. File picture

With a current bed capacity of 4,514, Irish prisons are 110% overcapacity, with the extra prisoners sleeping on mattresses on the floors of often cramped cells, some of them with multiple occupants.

In addition, there are 500 prisoners on temporary release, as of last Thursday.

The overcrowding crisis is greatest in the country’s two women's prisons: Limerick female, which has 74 inmates for 56 spaces (132% overcapacity) and Dóchas, in Dublin, which has 180 inmates for 146 spaces (123%).

The next most overcrowded prisons are Mountjoy (119%), Limerick male (113%), Castlerea, Roscommon (113%), Midlands (111%), and Cork (110%).

In terms of the number of people that are imprisoned as a percentage of the general population, Ireland has one of the lower rates out of the 47 countries in the Council of Europe study, at 85 per 100,000 people, compared to the European average of 124.

• Ireland is roughly average for the percentage of female inmates (5%) but has a relatively low percentage of foreign inmates (14.6%) compared to the average (26.8).
• Ireland has fewer people serving drug sentences (11.7%) compared to the average (18.9%) but has more people in jail for theft offences (16.1%) than the average (13.7%).
• The average age of inmates in Ireland (38) is the same as the average across the 47 states, while 13% of prisoners are aged 18 to 25 compared to the average of 15%.
• Slightly more Irish prisoners are serving a sentence of 1-3 years than the average (27.2% versus 25.4%) and more are serving a longer sentence, of 5-10 years (22.6% versus 19.7%).
• Ireland has a higher number of prison officers per inmate than most European countries, with a ratio of 1.1 of inmates per one staff member, compared to the average of 1.6.
• Irish prisons have a significantly lower suicide rate (2.3 per 10,000 inmates) than the average (7.1).