Women in Irish prisons four times more likely to self harm than male inmates

Irish Prison Service reports call for screening and continuity of care

Mon, 26 Jan, 2026 - 17:09

Paul Hosford

The rate of self-harm by women in Irish prisons is “disproportionately high”, with over one in eight prisoners saying they had self harmed.

On Monday, the Irish Prison Service published its fifth and sixth annual self-harm assessment and data analysis (SADA) reports for the period from 2022 to 2024.

The 2024 report shows that there were 203 episodes of self-harm among 142 individuals in the 4,941 prisoners in Irish facilities.

While men accounted for most individuals (85.9%), when adjusted for population size, the rate of self-harm among female prisoners was substantially higher (12.7 per 100 female prisoners as opposed to 2.9 men), working out as 20 women and 122 men.

As with previous years, cutting was the most common method of self-harm, the report says, with it accounting for over half of all recorded episodes. Other frequently used methods included ligaturing, overdose, and use of blunt objects. Hanging was used in the three episodes that resulted in a loss of life.

Repeated self-harm

Nearly 20% of those who engaged in self-harm did so on more than one occasion, the report adds. Women had slightly higher repetition rates than men and the report’s authors say repeat self harmers “accounted for a disproportionate share of the total number of episodes”.

Most episodes of self-harm required only minor or no medical intervention, but a “notable proportion” required local wound management or hospital treatment.

The most recorded contributory factors were mental health difficulties, substance misuse, interpersonal conflict, and stressors linked to imprisonment such as court dates, family separation, or bereavement. The report states:

Multiple contributory factors were often noted for the same incident, highlighting the complex and multifactorial nature of self-harm in prison settings.

The report makes a number of recommendations including that there be comprehensive screening for both mental health difficulties and substance misuse when a person is committed to prison; joint care planning between mental health professionals, addiction counsellors, and prison healthcare staff; and the delivery of “evidence-based interventions and relapse prevention strategies adapted for the prison environment”.

The report’s authors add that there should be “maintenance of continuity of care through active follow-up and integrated support during prison transfers and post-release, ensuring re-engagement of treatment upon return to the community”.

The report says that continuity of care between prison and community-based health services is often disrupted, and many individuals “disengage from services once released”.

To address this, the report recommends that “stronger, more formalised pathways be established between the HSE, community-based support services, and the Irish Prison Service to ensure seamless care transitions both at committal and following release”.

The report says that assessments when someone enters prison must be improved and must take in conditions such as ADHD and autism.

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“Committal assessments should be enhanced in scope, depth, and consistency to better identify the risk of self-harm, suicide, and complex healthcare needs at the earliest opportunity.

"Assessments should be holistic, addressing mental health, substance use, medical and trauma histories, literacy levels, social circumstances, protective factors and emerging conditions such as ADHD and autism, which are increasingly prevalent in mental health presentations.”

Irish Prison Service director general Caron McCaffrey said the service was “strengthening its response through enhanced committal health assessments, improved information-sharing, and targeted supports for individuals who engage in repeated self-harm”.