Overcrowding will cause 'tragedy', prison officers warn

The Programme for Government commits to 1,500 new prison spaces over the five years of the coalition
Overcrowding will cause 'tragedy', prison officers warn

A cell in Mountjoy Prison in January with a mattress on the floor to accommodate a second prisoner because of overcrowding. The number of floor mattresses in use on Wednesday was twice the number this time last year (174). Photo: Moya Nolan

There will be a “tragic event or some other crisis” in Irish prisons if the Government does not immediately tackle the worsening levels of overcrowding in the system, prison officers have warned.

Official figures show there were 5,344 prisoners in custody on Wednesday, in spaces for 4,666 people. This means 678 people were crammed into cells – 358 on mattresses on the floor and 320 inmates on bunk beds.

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