The number of people sleeping on prison floors has surged amid a deepening overcrowding crisis.
Last Monday night, 504 prisoners were sleeping on the floors of jails on mattresses because no beds were available.
That was more than double the 207 prisoners sleeping on mattresses on the same day last year. Exactly two years ago, there were just 77 prisoners accommodated on mattresses, meaning numbers have increased nearly seven-fold since then.
The latest data was secured from the Department of Justice by Labour TD Conor Sheehan, who described the situation as “absolutely shocking”.
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He said it was “clear evidence that our prison system is in crisis” and “dangerously overcrowded”, putting the safety of staff and prisoners at risk and completely undermining rehabilitation efforts.
“Instead of packing more and more people into overcrowded cells, Government must invest in mental health, addiction and rehabilitation services to help people rebuild their lives and break the cycle of reoffending,” he said.
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Over the last 12 months, the number of people in custody has reached 5,548, a 10 per cent increase in a prison system that has long been overcrowded.
The Irish Prison Service (IPS) has sought to control numbers to some extent by offering early-release schemes to non-violent offenders. However, mattresses on floors are the only option for those who cannot be released and for whom there are no beds.
Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan said he was “acutely aware of the capacity constraints in our prisons and the challenges faced by those who work and live in our prisons as a result”.
However, since 2022 the capacity of jails had been increased by 380 spaces, he said.
Mr O’Callaghan added that measures in this week’s budget included “a record investment of €67.9 million” in capital funding for jails. This would deliver 1,595 additional prison spaces by 2031, with plans also being made for the long-mooted jail at Thornton Hall in north Dublin.
The problem of prisoners sleeping on floors is most acute in Mountjoy men’s prison, where an average of 82 prisoners have been sleeping on the floor every night this year, twice as many as last year.
However, the problem is worsening at a faster rate for men in Limerick Prison and at the Midlands Prison, Portlaoise, where the average number sleeping on the floor this year has been three times higher than last year.
Overall, more prisoners have been sleeping on the floor in Mountjoy Prison than in any other jail. It is followed by Cork Prison (61 on the floor); Midlands Prison (57); Cloverhill Prison (45); Limerick Prison, men (43); Wheatfield (41); Castlerea (35).
The only prions where no prisoners are sleeping on the floor are Arbour Hill, Dublin, which houses sex offenders, Limerick’s women’s prison; and the training unit on Dublin’s Mountjoy campus.
The IPS said it was “working closely with officials in the Department of Justice to ensure a safe working environment for staff, and the safety and security of people in custody”.
It added the capacity of the prison estate had been increased by over 300 spaces in “recent years”, with funding in place for additional projects.
