More than 300 jail sentences were handed down to homeless people in Cork city over the last five years, accounting for almost quarter of all the jail terms at the centre of new research.

And homeless women who gave Cork Simon as their address were involved in just over a third of the cases involving people living with the charity.

This was almost three times the average city rate for women in the case files, underscoring the extreme challenges and difficulty faced especially by women living on the streets.

The detail emerged following a major new study on the more than 1,400 jail terms which were reported on from the Cork courts and published in the Irish Examiner and The Echo between 2020 and 2024.

The analysis shows that a total of 124 jail sentences were imposed on people who gave Cork Simon as their address, with 171 jail sentences on someone who was listed in court as 'of no fixed address'.

Theft and public order offences were mentioned more than any other offences in the jail term cases involving homeless people.

Men accounted for around two-thirds of the cases involving residents of Cork Simon – significantly below the citywide average of 87% - with a much larger proportion of homeless women getting jail time compared to the population of women with a permanent address.

The average age of the male cohort was just over 35 years, and the average length of the jail term was eight months – way below the 21-month city average.

Addiction was cited as an issue in almost 60% of all the cases, with alcohol the main issue and mentioned in almost half of all the cases, with drug addiction alone mentioned in 44% of cases.

There was a mention of addiction, alcohol and drugs, in 77% of the cases.
Previous convictions were mentioned in three quarters of all the cases, underlining the recidivism and the revolving door issue faced by the homeless community.

In relation to Cork Simon clients, theft was the main offence for which people were jailed, being mentioned in more than 60% of all the cases, followed by public order offences.

These were following by assault, criminal damage, harassment, weapons, drugs for personal use, burglary and trespass. 

There was just one case involving a mention of dangerous driving, with that individual sentenced to 90-months, in a case which also involved aggravated burglary and resisting arrest.

It was one of the longest jail terms involved in the more than 1,400 jail cases analysed, apart from the mandatory life sentences imposed for murder.

Of the 171 sentences imposed on people ‘of no fixed address’, men were involved in 83% of the cases.

The average age of the person jailed was 34 and a half, with the average sentence for someone of ‘no fixed address’ at almost 16 months.

Theft, at 40%, and public order, were the most common offences involved in the jail terms, followed closely by assault and then burglary.

The other offences, in descending order, include criminal damage, harassment, weapons, drugs for personal use, followed by trespass and robbery on the same percentage.

This cohort however, accounted for the highest number of jail terms for murder attempts or threats, reflecting perhaps the level of violence faced by people living on the streets.

Previous convictions were mentioned in 63% of the cases, with addiction, alcohol or drugs mentioned in three quarters of all the cases, alcohol alone was mentioned in 46% of the cases, and drugs alone was mentioned in just over a third of all the cases.

The northside Cork city suburb of Gurranabraher accounted for the highest number of jail terms, and it had the youngest average age of someone jailed, new research has found.

The average age of someone from Gurranabraher who was jailed for any offence between 2020 and 2024 was just under 29, four and a half years younger that the city average, and it was the youngest average age of all the suburbs listed in the top 10 for the number of jail sentences imposed.

Theft, assault, and burglary were the most mentioned offences in the jail term cases analysed, with the suburb also recording the highest number of sentences for weapons and explosives offences during the study period, just ahead of Blackpool. 

The data comes from a major new study on the more than 1,400 jail terms which were reported on from the Cork courts and published in the Irish Examiner and The Echo between 2020 and 2024.

The analysis shows that people with an address in Gurranabraher accounted for more of the jail sentences than anywhere else in the city. 

In line with the city-wide average, men accounted for the vast majority of the jail terms, representing 87% of the total, with just eight women accounting for the rest of the cases. 

The average sentence imposed on someone who was living in Gurranabraher was 21.8 months, roughly the same as the average city-wide.

Previous convictions were mentioned in 71% of cases – above the city average of 57% - and addiction was mentioned in 60% of cases, again, above the city average of 53%. 

There was a mention of addiction, including alcohol or drugs, in a staggering 82% of cases – again, above the city average of 72%, with addiction alone mentioned in 60% of cases, alcohol mentioned in 47% of cases and drugs in 47% of cases. 

A breakdown of the headline crime categories mentioned in the cases involving people living in Gurranabraher shows that theft was mentioned in most of the cases, followed by assault. 

Theft accounted for almost 40% of the cases, with the average age of the person involved at 30, with an average sentence of 11 months, and with addiction or substance abuse a factor in 84% of the cases. 

Assault was mentioned in 21% of the cases, with an average age of almost 28, and an average sentence of 28 months. 

Burglary was next, representing 19.4% of the cases, with an average age of 26.6 years, and an average sentence of 20 months. 

Weapons/explosives offences were next, with an average age of 29.4 and an average sentence of 35.6 months. 

Sentences in drugs for sale or supply cases averaged 34 months, with the person involved having an average age of 24. Drug addiction was an issue in all the cases. 

Harassment and dangerous driving accounted for the same amount of cases, following by public order and road traffic. 

Theft and burglary offences were the most mentioned offences in the jail sentences imposed on people who gave a Mayfield address - with two people from the suburb sentenced to life for murder, more than anywhere else in the city.

Men also accounted for nine out of every 10 jail terms imposed on people with an address in Mayfield, slightly above the city average.

The data comes from a major new study on the more than 1,400 jail terms which were reported on from the Cork courts and published in the Irish Examiner and The Echo between 2020 and 2024.

An analysis of the data shows that a total of 50 sentences were imposed on people who gave their address as Mayfield - the suburb with the second highest number of jail terms during the period analysed.

The average age of those jailed was almost 32 years of age.

The average sentence was 25.8 months - again roughly in line with the city average.

Previous convictions were a factor in 68% of the cases while addiction was mentioned in almost 60% of cases, with drug addiction alone mentioned in half of all the cases and alcohol addiction alone mentioned in a third of the cases.

A breakdown of the various crime categories shows that theft was the most frequently mentioned in the jail terms – being involved in just over a quarter of all cases - with the person involved having an average age of 33, and getting an average sentence of just over a year.

Burglary was next, and was mentioned in just over a fifth of the cases analysed. 

The average age of the person involved in these cases was just over 30 years of age, and they got an average jail sentence of almost three years - 34.5 months.

Assault was the third most mentioned offence, followed closely by public order and weapons and explosive offences, which were tied in fourth and fifth, with the average age of a person sentenced for a weapons and explosive offence in this suburb at just over 25, and the average sentence imposed at just over 23 months, while for public order offences, the average age of the person involved was 29 and the average length of their sentence was almost 14 months.

Drugs for personal use was next with the average age of the person involved at 28, and they got an average jail term of just over six months, with addiction issues mentioned in half of all these cases, and drug addiction alone mentioned in 83% of them.

Criminal damage and road traffic offences were the next most frequently mentioned offences. 

Like other areas, theft was the most mentioned crime in the jail cases involving people with an address in Knocknaheeny, but road traffic offences and dangerous driving featured more often here than anywhere else in the city over the last five years.

There were 10 convictions and jail sentences for road traffic offences involving people living in Knocknaheeny and eight for dangerous driving, our new research shows.

That road traffic offences alone account for a third of all the jail term mentions of road traffic offences across the northside, and for just under a sixth of the total number of jail terms mentions of road traffic offences city-wide cases.

And with 10 jail terms mentioning road traffic offences, this one suburb had just one case less than the entire southside, which had 11 jail terms linked to road traffic offences. 

These are among the stark findings of a major new study on the more than 1,400 jail terms which were reported on from the Cork courts and published in the Irish Examiner and The Echo between 2020 and 2024.

Men accounted for 91% of the jail terms in this suburb - slightly above the citywide average – while the average age of a person jailed from this part of the city was just over 33.

Their average jail sentence 24.7 months - about three months above the city average.

Previous convictions were a factor in three quarters of all the cases while addiction was mentioned in 57% of cases, with drug addiction alone mentioned in 46% of cases and alcohol addiction alone mentioned in 28% of the cases.

There was a combined mention of addiction, alcohol and drugs in 67% of cases.

A breakdown of the data shows that theft was the most mentioned offence in the jail term cases from this suburb, mentioned in just over 43% of the cases analysed.

Those jailed for theft had an average age of almost 35, and they got an average sentence of just over 13 months. Addiction was an issue in more than half the cases.

Road traffic offences were next, mentioned in almost 22% of cases, with the average age of those jailed at almost 37, they got an average sentence of 20 months, with addiction mentioned in 60% of the cases. 

Dangerous driving came next, with the average age of those jailed at almost 33, they got an average sentence of just over 43 months, with addiction mentioned in 63% of the cases. 

Drugs for personal use was the next most mentioned offence, just ahead of burglary, which was tied with drugs for sale or supply, and public order cases.

The average sentence for someone from Knocknaheeny who was jailed for having drugs for personal use was 10 months, but it was 51.5 months for selling drugs. 

Theft was again a big issue in Blackpool but the area also recorded the second highest number of jail terms for people convicted of weapons and explosives offences.

The details emerged following a major new study on the more than 1,400 jail terms which were reported on from the Cork courts and published in the Irish Examiner and The Echo between 2020 and 2024.

The research shows that 45 jail sentences were imposed on people with an address in Blackpool – the fourth highest number of jail terms imposed in an area in the study period.

Men accounted for 89% of all the cases - slightly above the citywide average – with an average age of almost 34 years of age.

The average sentence imposed on somebody who gave their address as Blackpool was 14.3 months – about six months shorter that the city average.

Previous convictions were mentioned in 67% of the cases, while addiction was mentioned in almost half of all cases.

Drug addiction alone was mentioned in 40% of the cases, while alcohol addiction alone was mentioned in just over a third of the cases, with a mention of addiction, as well as alcohol and drugs mentioned in almost 70% of all the cases.

A detailed breakdown of the various headline crime categories for this area shows that theft was the most mentioned offence in the jail sentences imposed on people with an address in Blackpool – it was mentioned in almost 40% of all the jail term cases here.

However, weapons and explosives offences came next, mentioned in a fifth of all the cases.

Assault offences came next, with the average age of the person jailed coming in at 29, and their average jail sentence was 16.3 months.

It was tied in third spot with public order offences, with the average age of the person jailed at 33, and the average sentence imposed at almost 10 months.

Drugs for sale and supply offences came next, with the average age of the person jailed at 36 and a half, they got an average jail term of three years, and addiction was mentioned in 71% of the cases.

Criminal damage was next with the average age of the person sent to jail at 27 and an average jail sentence of just under one year.

Addiction was issue in 80% of the burglary cases, which came in in seventh place, with an average sentence of seven months imposed, and the average age of those jailed at 31.

Road traffic offences were mentioned in four cases, followed by drugs for personal use, and dangerous driving. 

Theft was a factor in more than half of all the jail sentences imposed on people with a Mahon address – the only area south of the river Lee in the top five jail term hotspots.

The suburb had the highest percentage of women jailed – females accounted for almost a fifth of all the cases – and it had the second youngest average age of someone jailed over the last five years.

The detail emerged following a major new study of the more than 1,400 jail terms which were reported on from the Cork courts and published in the Irish Examiner and The Echo between 2020 and 2024.

The data shows that a total of 37 jail sentences were imposed on people who gave their address as Mahon on the city’s southside - the suburb with the fifth highest number of jail terms analysed from the last five years.

Men accounted for 82% of all the cases - slightly below the citywide average – with an average age of all those jailed at 30, the second youngest average age rate in the city. 

But with 18% of the jail terms involving women, the suburb had the highest proportion of females jailed in any of the 10 suburbs analysed.

The average sentence imposed on somebody who gave their address as Mahon was just over 10 months – less than half the city average of just over 21 months.

Previous convictions were a factor in 71% of the cases while addiction was mentioned in 63% of cases.

Drug addiction alone was mentioned in just a third of the cases, with alcohol addiction alone mentioned in 42% of the cases.

However, addiction, as well as alcohol and drugs were mentioned in three quarters of all the cases.

A detailed breakdown of the various crime categories shows that theft offences were mentioned in almost 53% of all the jail term cases, followed by public order, which was mentioned in a quarter of the cases, and assault which was mentioned in 18% of the cases.

The average age of a person jailed for theft was 29 and their average sentence was just over eight months.

The average age of those jailed for public order offences was just over 29, and the average sentence was five and a half months.

Assault was mentioned in about 18% of the jail terms, with the average age of the person involved at just over 32 and their average jail term was 17 months.

These were followed by criminal damage offences, and by weapons and explosives offences.

The average age of a person jailed for criminal damage was 22, and the average sentence was five months.

The average age of a person jailed for weapons and explosives offences was 29 and a half, and the average sentence imposed was five months just six months. 

The Glen on Cork’s northside had one of the highest mentions of previous convictions in the city, new research has found.

Previous convictions were mentioned in 75% of all jail terms cases analysed involving people who gave their address as The Glen.

Theft topped the list of crimes, with public order a close second, with these two crime categories alone accounting for over half of all the sentences imposed on people from the Glen during the study period. 

The detail follows an analysis of the more than 1,400 reported jail terms which were imposed on people before the city courts between 2020 and 2024, and which were reported on in the Irish Examiner and its sister publication, The Echo.

The research shows that a total of 28 jail sentences were imposed on people living in The Glen during the study period, placing the northside suburb sixth on the city’s jail term league table over the last five years.

Men accounted for all but one of the cases.

The average age of someone from The Glen who was sent to jail during the study period was 36, two years older than the city average, with the average length of sentence imposed at 23.6 months – just two months above the city average.

Previous convictions were a major issue in this area, more so than in any other area examined, and were mentioned in 21, or 75% of all the cases - the highest rate of previous conviction mentions in the city during the five years.

There was a mention of addiction, drugs or alcohol in 61% of all the cases, with addiction alone mentioned in 38% of the cases, alcohol alone mentioned in 46% of the cases, and drugs alone mentioned in a quarter of the cases.

A breakdown of the various crime categories shows that almost a third of the jail sentences imposed on people with addresses in The Glen mentioned theft.

The average age of someone from The Glen who was jailed for theft was 33, and they got an average sentence of 16 months.

This was followed by public order, which was mentioned in almost a quarter of the sentences, with the average age of someone from the suburb jailed for a public order offence standing at 31. They got an average seven-month long sentence.

Burglary was the third in the list, with the average age of someone being sent to jail from The Glen for burglary aged 50, and the average sentence imposed on them was 47 months.

This was followed by drugs for sale or supply, where the average age was almost 47, and the average sentence was 54 months.

Drugs for personal use and road traffic offences accounted for the rest of the sentences. 

Public order offences top the list for jail sentences imposed on people living in Ballincollig - the only area in the city where theft was not the main reason for jail time, new research shows.

And in a town with a population of more than 21,000 people, not a single woman with an address in the town was jailed arising out of an appearance before the Cork courts during the study period, with men accounting for all of the jail terms.

Criminal damage also featured highly as one of the main issues in the town, pushing theft completely out of the top three most mentioned crimes in jail term cases, making Ballincollig the only area analysed where theft was not in the top three.

The detail comes from an analysis of the more than 1,400 reported jail term cases which were imposed on people before the city courts between 2020 and 2024, and which were reported on in the Irish Examiner and its sister publication, The Echo.

The data shows that in that time, 27 jail sentences were imposed on people who gave their address as Ballincollig, a large fast-growing town on the western fringes of the city, and where significant housing growth is planned over the next decade, placing it seventh on the city’s jail term league table over the last five years.

Men accounted for all 27 jail terms – one of just two areas analysed where just one gender accounted for all of the jail sentences.

The average age of the man jailedwas just over 30 years of age, putting it amongst the top three youngest average age areas, and the average sentence imposed on someone with a Ballincollig address was just over two years – about three months above the city-wide average.

Previous convictions were a factor in just under half the cases where a jail term was imposed.

Addiction was mentioned in almost 60% of cases, with alcohol addiction alone mentioned in just over half the cases, drug addiction alone mentioned in 56% of the cases, with addiction, alcohol and drugs mentioned in 81% of the cases.

A breakdown of the various crime categories shows that most of the jail sentences imposed on people with an address in Ballincollig were for public order offences, which was mentioned in a quarter of all the cases, with average age of the person jailed at 27, and an average sentence of seven months.

Criminal damage was mentioned in about a fifth of the jail terms, with the average age of the person jailed at 27, and they got an average 14.5 month jail term.

Drugs for sale and supply accounted for the same amount of jail terms. 

The average age of the person jailed was 36.5 months old and they got an average sentence of almost 42 months.

Assault was next, with the average age of the person jailed at 25 and the average sentence was almost 35 months.

Theft and fraud were mentioned in the remainder of the jail terms, with the average age of the person jailed for a theft offence at 26, their average sentence just under five months, while the average age of a person jailed for fraud was 47. 

Theft offences were mentioned in more than half of all the jail sentences imposed on people with an address in Fairhill over the last five years.

Drugs and burglary were the next most mentioned offences in an area where the average age of a jailed person was almost 33.

The detail comes from an analysis of the more than 1,400 reported jail terms which were imposed on people before the city courts between 2020 and 2024, and which were reported on in the Irish Examiner and its sister publication, The Echo.

The data shows that in that time, 26 jail sentences were imposed on people who gave a Fairhill address – placing the northside city suburb eighth on the city’s jail term league table over the last five years.

Men accounted for 88% of all the cases - above the citywide average – with an average age of the person jailed at almost 33.

The average sentence imposed on somebody who gave their address as Fairhill was just over 20 months – slightly below the city average.

Previous convictions were a factor in 65% of the cases, with addiction mentioned in just under half of all the cases.

Alcohol addiction alone was mentioned in 42% of the cases, with drug addiction alone mentioned in just under a third of the cases.

There was a mention of addiction, drugs or alcohol in almost three quarters of all the cases.

A breakdown of the various crime categories shows that theft was the most mentioned offence in the jail cases involving people with a Fairhill address.

The average age of the person jailed for cases involving theft was 32 and they received a sentence of just over 14 months.

Burglary and drugs for personal use were mentioned in five jail cases each, with the average age of someone sent to jail for burglary at almost 31, and their average sentence was almost 32 months, while the average age of the person jailed for drugs for personal use offences was just over 31, and their average sentence was just over 15 months.

Assault was mentioned in three cases, and road traffic offences were also mentioned in three cases.

The average age of the personal jailed for assault was almost 25, their average sentence was almost 35 months, while the average age of the person jailed for the road traffic offences was 32 and their average sentence was seven months.

Robbery, criminal damage, weapons/explosives charges and drugs for sale or supply were among the offences mentioned in the rest of the jail terms. 

Theft, assault and robbery were the most mentioned offences in the jail sentences imposed on people with an address given as Cork city over the last five years.

Each of the headline crime categories was mentioned in almost the same number of sentences, a trend which differs from other areas analysed, where mentions of theft often far outnumber mentions of the other offences.

The data comes from an analysis of the more than 1,400 reported jail terms which were imposed on people before the city courts between 2020 and 2024, and which were reported on in the Irish Examiner and its sister publication, The Echo.

The data shows that in that time, 25 jail sentences were imposed on people who gave a city centre address – placing the city ninth on the jail term league table over the last five years.

Men accounted for 64% of all the cases - slightly below the citywide average – with women accounting for the remaining 36%, almost three times the city average.

The average age of those sentenced was just over 36 years of age, and the average sentence imposed on somebody who gave a city centre address was 25 months – four months more than the city average.

Previous convictions were a factor in 52% of the cases with addiction mentioned in almost 70%.

Alcohol was marginally the main addiction issue, being mentioned 48% of cases, with drug addiction alone mentioned in 44% of the cases.

There was a mention of addiction, drugs and alcohol in 80% of the cases.
A detailed breakdown of the various crime categories shows that theft offences were mentioned in almost a third of all the jail sentences imposed on people with addresses in the city centre. 

Their average age was almost 38 and their average sentence was almost 10 months.

Robbery was next, and was mentioned in just under 30% of the jail cases.
The average age of those involved was almost 31, and they got an average sentence of 40 months.

Assault was next, just a few percentage points behind, with the average age of those involved at 28 and their average sentence length was 31 months.

Criminal damage, and drugs for sale or supply were next, followed by public order and burglary sentences.

The highest average sentence was 42 months for the drugs for sale or supply offences. 

Farranree produced the oldest inmates, on average, over the last five years, and they were all men, new data shows. 

While the northside suburb finished tenth on the city’s jail sentence league table, with just 21 jail terms handed out for people who gave Farranree as their address in court, those involved were, on average, older than those from the rest of the city.

The average age of the men who were jailed was just over 38 – the highest average age of the areas examined.

It data follows an analysis of the more than 1,400 reported jail terms which were imposed on people before the city courts between 2020 and 2024, and which were reported on in the Irish Examiner and its sister publication, The Echo.

The average sentence imposed on someone who gave their address as Farranree was just over 24 and a half months – just a few months above the city average.

Theft was mentioned in most of the jail term cases involving people from the suburb – but it was only marginally ahead of the other crime categories.

Previous convictions were a factor in just over half the cases with addiction mentioned in almost 40% of those cases.

Drugs was more of an issue than alcohol, but only just, the data suggests, with drug addiction alone mentioned in 48% of the cases, and alcohol alone mentioned in 43% of the cases.

There was a mention of addiction, alcohol or drugs in three quarters of all the cases.

A breakdown of the various crime categories shows that most of the jail sentences imposed on people with an address in Farranree involved a mention of theft offences, that the average age of the offender who was jailed was just over 38, and that they were jailed for just over 20 months.

It was followed closely by assault, where the average age of the person jailed was almost 40, and their average sentence was 27 and a half months.

Drugs for personal use was the next largest category, with the average age of the person jailed at 34 and their average sentence was five months.

That was followed by burglary, and weapons or explosive offensives, which were responsible for the same number of jail terms imposed on people with an address in Farranree.

The average age of those sentenced for burglary was 36 and their average sentence was 32 months.

Robbery accounted for the next batch of sentences, with the average age of those jailed at just 19, and the average sentence was 36 months.