The Inspector of Prisons has described the current situation in Ireland’s prisons as “inhuman and degrading,” stating that overcrowding has contributed to the growing number of deaths in custody.
More than 5,660 individuals are now being held in overcrowded facilities, a crisis the Inspector said can only be addressed through “courageous action at political level,” reports RTE.
Every closed prison in Ireland is currently operating beyond capacity, with both women’s prisons in Dublin and Limerick running at over 150%.
Mountjoy Prison for men stands at 130% capacity, while both Portlaoise and Cork prisons are at 124%, reports RTE.
Across the country’s 14 prisons, the average overcrowding rate is 121%, with hundreds of inmates forced to sleep on mattresses placed on floors.
During a recent inspection of the Midlands Prison, the Inspectorate highlighted that 31 prisoners were sleeping on the floor, but that figure has now more than tripled to 97, reports RTE.
Chief Inspector Mark Kelly said the Government must establish “an enforceable ceiling” on how many people can safely be detained in each facility.
He noted that despite repeated promises from successive justice ministers to add 1,500 prison spaces in the coming years, it is “no longer credible” to respond to this crisis “with rote answers referencing future increases” in capacity, reports RTE.
“No comparable jurisdiction has ever succeeded in building itself out of overcrowding,” the Chief Inspector said, reports RTE.
A total of 31 people died while in custody last year — the highest figure since records began in 2012.
Mr Kelly wrote in his annual report that “there is no doubt that the pressures created by overcrowding have played their part in generating this increase,” reports RTE.
Investigations have also revealed poor risk assessment procedures at committal, which have led to tragic outcomes, as well as weaknesses in the medical supervision of prisoners suspected of concealing contraband internally.
The Inspectorate carried out four unannounced inspections last year at the Midlands Prison, Limerick Women’s Prison, Arbour Hill, and conducted a follow-up inspection at Cloverhill, reports RTE.
It also completed reports on Mountjoy Men’s Prison, the Training Unit, Cork Prison, Cloverhill Prison, and the Dóchas Centre, which are currently with the Minister for Justice.
The Inspector further criticised the Department of Justice for delays in publishing previous inspection reports, reports RTE.
The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) said the findings highlight grim conditions in prisons during 2024 and warned that many of the most urgent issues have worsened this year due to severe overcrowding.
The organisation also expressed deep concern at the record number of prison deaths, reports RTE.
IPRT Executive Director Saoirse Brady said that many inmates are forced to share small, confined cells with up to three others, often equipped with bunk beds, a floor mattress, and an unpartitioned toilet, some without lids.
“Even for one person these living spaces would be cramped and uncomfortable but the report points to some people having to eat their meals standing up or sitting on the floor, sometimes with no access to basic amenities like pillows or clothes-washing facilities,” Ms Brady said, reports RTE.
She also described as “unacceptable” the situation in Cloverhill Remand Prison, where limited shower access combined with a broken facility and overcrowding meant some prisoners could not wash themselves, reports RTE.
The Prison Officers Association (POA) said it met with the Minister for Justice today to raise concerns about overcrowding and related problems of drugs, violence, and deaths occurring daily in Irish prisons.
Officers described the situation for both inmates and staff as “horrendous” and said the current expansion plan does not meet the requirements of a modern prison system, reports RTE.
Currently, more than 560 inmates are on temporary release.
General Secretary Karl Dalton stated that even if all 1,500 new prison spaces promised for completion by 2031 were made available tomorrow, prisons would still be overcrowded, reports RTE.
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