Adding extra prison spaces not the answer to dehumanising, degrading overcrowding

Forty years ago a report recommended capping prisoner numbers and developing community solutions. It's still the only way forward, writes former governor of Mountjoy Prison John Lonergan 

The 'newly built' Cork Prison. The minister for justice appears to believe that by providing extra prison spaces, the overcrowding crisis will be solved. History clearly shows that such an approach, on its own, is doomed to fail. File picture: Larry Cummins

Each year the publication of the Annual Prisons’ Report generates the same headlines, all focused on overcrowding. The 2024 report is no exception. 

The Director General now claims that overcrowding is at an all-time high. This needs context. Chronic overcrowding has been a feature of the Irish prison system for over 50 years.