Overcrowding adding to issues of 'cold cells, broken toilets and unhygienic conditions' at Mountjoy

As of Tuesday, 165 prisoners are sleeping on mattresses on the floor of shared cells in the facility

The report from the Mountjoy Prison Visiting Committee said overcrowding in 2024 means that many cells are now double occupancy, although 'only designed for single occupancy'. File photo: Moya Nolan

The impact of overcrowding at Mountjoy Jail on the physical and mental health needs of prisoners needs “urgent consideration” by the authorities, according to an official oversight body.

The Mountjoy Prison Visiting Committee also said it is concerned about the health and safety of “both staff and prisoners” because of the absence of proper care for seriously ill prisoners.

Its 2024 report was submitted to the Department of Justice last year and has been published this week.

“As the Department of Justice will be aware, the overcrowding situation in the prison is worsening (at the end of 2024, the numbers in custody represented 118% of capacity), as is its very negative impact on the prison,” the report said.

It said overcrowding means that many cells are now double occupancy, although “only designed for single occupancy”.

The report said: 

In many of those doubled-up cells one prisoner has to sleep on a mattress on the floor, either with his head beside the base of the in-cell WC or by the cell door where he may be in danger of being hit by the door if it has to be opened for some urgent need.

“The installation of bunk beds was intended to address the concern about mattresses on cell floors, but the increasing number of prisoners has seen that problem re-appear in 2024.” 

It said that prison capacity during 11 months of 2024 was 755, increasing to 770 that December, rising to 900 into early 2025.

As of Tuesday, prison numbers at Mountjoy stood at 1,103 — representing 133% of capacity. A total of 165 prisoners are sleeping on mattresses on the floor of shared cells.

The visiting committee said the overcrowding crisis is exacerbated by staffing shortages, which “regularly result” in prisoners being unable to access facilities such as gyms and school.

“Access to the gym is extremely important for men who have so little else to do,” it said, adding prisoners described it as a mental health issue for them. 

The committee noted a major programme of refurbishment on several landings of the Progression Unit, which had been renamed Mountjoy West.

But it said it received prisoner complaints in the main A and B wings of “wet cell walls, of cold cells, of broken toilets, of leaking sinks and of unhygienic conditions”.

Bunkbeds to accomodate a second prisoner in what shoud be a single cell in Mountjoy Prison. Photo: Moya Nolan

It said the change – brought about because of overcrowding — in the status of the Progression Wing was leading to an “increasing level of despair amongst some of the prisoners”.

On the impact of overcrowding, the report said: “Prisoners spoke of the risk of resorting to substance abuse to alleviate isolation and depression. The impact of overcrowding on prisoners’ physical and mental health needs urgent consideration by the IPS.” 

It added: “In spite of best efforts of management and staff, the increasing overcrowding risks depriving prisoners of health care, contributing to episodes of violence as described by staff on occasion during summer months of 2024 and an increase in drug use. 

"Staff have expressed concern about overcrowding contributing to increasing tension, anger and risk of assault on both prisoners and staff, and have reported an increase in episodes of drugs entering the prison by drone and by other means, with negative impact on health and behaviour of prisoners.”