'Unconscionable' sleeping conditions in overcrowded prisons 'blighting lives'

There are 486 inmates sleeping on mattresses on cell floors in country's prisons

An unannounced inspection was carried out at Wheatfield Prison in Dublin. Picture: PA

The prisons’ inspector has said that overcrowding is “blighting the daily lives” of people working and incarcerated in the country’s jails, after carrying out a large-scale unannounced inspection of Wheatfield Prison in Dublin.

Mark Kelly said his office has now carried out unannounced visits at 10 of the 13 prisons, with overcrowding a consistent issue.

The Chief Inspector of Prisons said it was “unconscionable” that, in 2025, people who are sent to prison do not have the basics of a bed of their own.

But he added that while spaces were needed, Ireland cannot “build its way out of overcrowding”.

Overcrowding

There were 5,542 people in prison custody on Monday, compared to 4,994 on 10 January this year. The current maximum capacity of the system is 4,672, meaning the prison estate is 19% beyond that maximum.

There are 486 prisoners sleeping on mattresses on the floor in cells with other prisoners. That compares to 356 prisoners on April 28, when the Irish Prison Service (IPS) started publishing the figures.

Total numbers in Wheatfield Prison, west Dublin, have jumped from 614 on January 10 to 725 yesterday, an increase of 18%. The number on mattresses has doubled since April 28, from 37 to 74.

In a statement, the Office of the Inspector of Prisons (OIP) said it completed an unannounced general inspection of Wheatfield Prison between June 19 and July 2 last.

“Specially-secured electronic tablets were used to enable a significant number of prisoners to complete an anonymous survey,” it said. “Staff working in Wheatfield Prison were also surveyed anonymously. These survey results became available in real time during the inspection.” 

The eight-person-strong OIP team was assisted by three experts, including a doctor and a nurse. In addition they were advised by two inspectors from the Department of Education.

Speaking about the OIP’s preliminary findings, Mr Kelly said: “In common with almost all other prisons in Ireland, we found that overcrowding at Wheatfield Prison is blighting the daily lives of people living and working in this establishment. It is unconscionable that, in 2025, the Irish Prison Service cannot even offer a bed to everyone committed to its custody by the courts.

“As the Council of Europe’s European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) has recently highlighted, a multi-faceted approach, looking beyond the capacity of the prison system, is needed to tackle this problem.” 

He added: “No comparable jurisdiction has ever succeeded in building its way out of overcrowding”.

Remand

Figures published by the IPS show that the overcrowding crisis in Wheatfield, as in many prisons, is driven in large part by increasing numbers of people remanded in custody pending trial.

People on remand in Dublin and much of the eastern part of the country are supposed to be sent to Cloverhill Remand Prison, which is a dedicated facility for male remanded prisoners.

But Cloverhill has a serious overcrowding crisis and has been the subject of highly critical inspection reports, not least because of the impact of overcrowding on the high numbers of prisoners there with serious or severe mental illnesses.

Wheatfield, which is adjacent to Cloverhill, has been taking a growing overspill from the remand prison — with a 53% jump in remand prisoners this year, from 114 on January 10 to 174 on August 18.