Crime & Law

Prison overcrowding raises risk of violence, warned Department of Justice in plea for more funding

In a pre-budget submission, the department said staff and prisoners would face ‘acute risks’ and rehabilitation would be ‘severely curtailed’

Some 5,000 people are in the State's prison system, nearly 300 more than when the Department of Justice warned of the risks of increased overcrowding
Some 5,000 people are in the State's prison system, nearly 300 more than when the Department of Justice warned of the risks of increased overcrowding
Ken Foxe
Fri Apr 05 2024 - 06:00

The Department of Justice warned that prison overcrowding was going to spill over into violence in a plea for additional funding from the Department of Public Expenditure.

A submission said the Irish Prison Service was currently experiencing “record high-risk overcrowding” as prisoner numbers shot up following the Covid-19 pandemic.

It said coping with the rise in numbers would be extremely challenging and was likely to lead to “increased tensions” that would inevitably lead to a risk of physical assaults and increased dangers for both staff and prisoners.

In their pre-budget submission, the department said they needed at least €48 million in extra funding for prisons as they warned that overcrowding was only likely to get worse.

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At the time, there were more than 4,700 people in the prison system; however, since the submission was sent, that has risen further. On some days this year it has approached 5,000.

The submission added: “In addition to the acute risks this brings to staff and prisoners alike, overcrowding also severely curtails rehabilitation services, including access to schools and workshops.”

The Department of Justice submission also flagged the growing perception that Ireland had become less safe and the knock-on impact this would have in attracting visitors.

It said a large budget increase for the department was needed “to keep people safe, give confidence to the public and the tourism industry, and maintain strong inward investment to the country”.

The department had failed to provide copies of the pre-budget documents under Freedom of Information legislation and only released them after an appeal was made to the Information Commissioner.

In the correspondence, a senior official asked for an extra €43.8 million in funding for Garda overtime, saying this would be put to work in the areas of greatest need, including the disruption of organised crime.

The department also detailed how rising prison numbers had given rise to increased need for probation services after offenders were released back into the community.

It said the extra €5.9 million for the Probation Service would be used to “help alleviate the ... overcrowding” and expand other services for ex-prisoners.

Justifying the investment, it said the annual average cost for a person on probation was €5,712 as compared with a yearly bill of more than €80,000 if they remained behind bars.

The Department of Justice said as well that they had been badly hit by the cost-of-living crisis with inflation for cleaning services, fuel supplies and maintenance of their buildings.

It said €6.45 million would be needed to help get a new “GSOC [Garda Ombudsman] successor body” established and €5.5 million for a newly established Gambling Regulatory Authority.

“Any delays in licensing [of betting operators], therefore, will mean delays in those protections for the public including problem gamblers, young people and children,” said the submission from late August.

Another €18.9 million would be needed for the Courts Service, primarily through the appointment of new judges, and pilot programmes for court sittings during traditional court vacation periods.

Other requests from the department included an extra €1.1 million for immigration services to begin charter flights to remove failed asylum seekers.

The budget document said: “Deportation is an essential component of the immigration system – charter operations send a clear signal that persons entering the state illegally will be returned.”

Extra staffing would also be needed for the International Protection Office as it contends with a big upsurge in applications for refugee status.

It said among the factors for this increase were the easing of Covid-19 travel restrictions, “pent-up demand” that built up during the pandemic, as well as increased conflict in countries such as Somalia and Afghanistan.