Cost of keeping prisoner in Portlaoise is over Eur 200,000

The annual cost of keeping a prisoner in Portlaoise Prison has exceeded €200,000 for the first time, according to the Irish Prison Service's annual report for 2002.

Across the State, the average cost of keeping a prisoner incarcerated rose by almost €6,000 to €84,750 in 2002, but in Portlaoise it reached €206,700 in 2002, an increase of almost €30,000 on the previous year.

A prison service spokesman said the mix of prisoners at Portlaoise meant the need for manpower was higher than at other facilities. "Payroll would account for a large portion of spending at the prisons. In Portlaoise we have very serious offenders and subversives. Both groups have to be kept apart at all times and that requires more staff."

Payroll costs, including overtime, increased by almost €17 million across the prison service, to €205.5 million. Overtime increased to €59.3 million, from €55.3 million in 2001.

The Prison Service report, published yesterday, also reveals one in five prisoners is a non-national. The Asian prison population almost doubled last year. There were 105 foreign nationalities represented in the State's prisons at different stages during the year.

The daily average number of persons in custody in 2002 was 3,165. The number of committals to prison in 2002 fell by 2 per cent, to 11,860. Of those, 21 per cent or 9,716 were non-nationals.

Overall, the non-national prison population increased by almost 200, compared with 2001.

Some 279 were from the EU, of whom 209 were British. There were a total of 983 "other European" prisoners, an increase of 345 on the previous year.

There were also 257 Asians, 446 Africans, 21 North Americans, and 58 from Central/South America.

While overcrowding has been alleviated in recent years, due mainly to more prison places, maximum capacity was exceeded in three institutions.

In the women's Dóchas Centre, in Mountjoy, Dublin, capacity ran at 125 per cent on average throughout the year.

In Castlerea, Roscommon, capacity was 106 per cent and in the men's prison in Limerick, average daily bed capacity was 101 per cent during the year.

The lowest occupation rate was at the now closed Shanganagh Castle, Shankill, Co Dublin, which was 40 per cent full.