Minister says old Cork prison site could be used to extend new jail

On a visit to the 'new' jail which opened in 2017 Jim O’Callaghan said overcrowding is making prison an unsafe place to work for officers

The entrance to the old Victorian-era Cork prison on Rathmore Road which has lain vacant for eight years. File picture: Cillian Kelly

The justice minister says the old Cork prison site, which has lain vacant for eight years, should be used to facilitate an extension of the city's new jail.

Jim O’Callaghan was speaking in Cork on Friday after visiting the ‘new’ €45m 296-bed capacity jail which opened in 2017 but which has been struggling with overcrowding for the last three years.