Prison overcrowding group to meet after capacity crisis warning

The Irish Prison Service is sounding the alarm over a deepening crisis in our correctional facilities, with overcrowding reaching unprecedented levels. The director general has repeatedly called for urgent action, highlighting that prisons are now operating at 122-125% capacity, a situation described as being under "extreme duress."

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Certain prisons are now under extreme duress as a result of operating at higher than the average capacity figure (120 per cent), with six of our prisons operating between 123 [and] 154 per cent of capacity.

Correspondence released under Freedom of Information laws reveals the stark reality: over 500 inmates are sleeping on mattresses on the floor, a number that has tragically increased since last October. This persistent overcrowding, exacerbated by a growing prison population, is leading to conditions that the Irish Penal Reform Trust rightly condemns as "degrading and dehumanising."

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Multiple people now share cells the size of a car-parking space, with more than 500 sleeping on mattresses on the floor beside unpartitioned toilets.

While a cross-sectoral response group has been reconvened and is set to meet again, the figures speak for themselves. The Dóchas Centre and Limerick Women's Prison are operating at over 150% capacity, illustrating the scale of the challenge. This situation demands immediate and effective mitigation strategies to ensure the safety and dignity of both prisoners and staff.

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unprecedented