Female wing of Limerick Prison is most overcrowded in the system

Services such as education and medical appointments for prisoners have also been hampered by a lack of prison staff across the prison estates

The female wing of Limerick Prison was the most overcrowded prison in the estate on Friday, at 141% capacity, Picture: Dan Linehan

The female wing of Limerick prison is the most overcrowded in the system — despite hopes expressed by the prison visiting committee in its 2022 report that overcrowding could be eliminated and “inmates transferred to the new building as soon as possible.” 

The report has only just been published by the Department of Justice, along with the visiting committee reports for 2022 for each of the other prisons across the country. Some of the reports were finalised and submitted to the department over a year ago.