Cork crime and jail time: Methodology statement 

How we analysed more than 5,000 court reports over a five-year period, and focused on 1,415 cases that resulted in jail terms

Ev Duggan explains the methodology behind the analysis of thousands of court cases — and also cautions that 'this is not the full story'. Picture: iStock

Overcrowding at Cork Prison is getting worse, with more prisoners than beds every day for the past two years.

Annual committal rates have also risen sharply in recent years — from 873 in 2020 to 985 in 2024.