Closure of main prison housing sex offenders should be a priority

Group established to advise the Government on future prison capacity needs has called for the decommissioning of the prison at Arbour Hill in Dublin

The prison at Arbour Hill in Dublin currently houses around 135 long-term prisoners. File picture: Billy Higgins

The closure of the country’s main prison for housing sex offenders has been recommended as a top priority by a group established to advise the Government on future prison capacity needs.

A report by the group has called for the decommissioning of the prison at Arbour Hill in Dublin, which currently houses around 135 long-term prisoners, over the coming decade, although it accepted that it would require “a suitable replacement facility”.