Ireland
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Ireland: number of deaths in prison up 55% last year
The number of incarcerated people who died in custody increased by 55% last year - up from 20 in 2023 to 31 last year. However, Chief Inspector of Prisons said the “increase is even higher” when the figures are broken down.“If we look purely at deaths in prisons, they’ve actually gone up by 90%”.Ireland: all secure prisons now at, or above, capacity with Mountjoy reaching 1,000 incarcerated people
Prison overcrowding is at another crisis point with all secure jails having reached, or exceeded, capacity for the first time. The number of incarcerated male in Mountjoy Prison, Dublin, has this week grown to 1,000 for the first time.Ireland: overcrowded prisons and breaches of human rights
The deprivation of a person’s liberty alone is a core punitive sanction that has a long-lasting and often traumatic impact on an individual – the conditions and treatment experienced by individuals in prison should not be used as an additional punishment.Ireland: Limerick women’s prison operating at twice its capacity, latest figures show
The women’s wing of Limerick Prison is currently operating at twice its capacity. That’s according to the Irish Prison Service’s latest figures, which show that the women’s wing is housing 91 incarcerated people, despite having a maximum capacity of just 56 beds.Ireland: record overcrowding at Cork prison, with 76 imprisoned people sleeping on floors
The prison, which has a capacity of 296, had 372 people in custody yesterday, representing 126% capacity. It has broken its own overcrowding record, with 76 person in custody currently sleeping on mattresses on the floor due to a lack of bed space.Ireland: family of man who died in Cork prison take action for damages
Andrew Gearns, aged 29, died in October 2020 by suicide. His inquest in 2023 heard that he had been in serious mental distress in Cork Prison before his death, suffering delusions about being stabbed and calling out for his mother.Ireland: prison system at 'breaking point' as capacity exceeded by over 400 incarcerated people
Independent TD Carol Nolan has spoken out about concerns over the prison system as data confirms that it is approaching a ‘breaking point’ - with capacity currently exceeded by over 400 incarcerated people.Ireland: prison overcrowding making drug problem worse, warns Irish Penal Reform Trust
Record number of people incarcerated at present and penal system operating at 112 per cent capacity. The Irish Penal Reform Trust has said that overcrowding in prisons is making it more difficult for inmates to tackle addiction problems.Ireland: prisoners sleeping on mattresses on floors "wedged next to unpartitioned toilets"
The Inspector of Prisons Mark Kelly expressed grave concern at the “undesirable uptick in physical violence” the worsening overcrowding will cause, in addition to the impact on the physical and mental health of imprisoned people.
Ireland: new approach to rehabilitating inmates at Cork Prison
“The prison service has changed hugely in the last 10 years or so, and the case of locking prisoners up and throwing away the key is gone,” Ger Manley, governor of Cork Prison, told The Echo in an interview at the prison. “Nowadays we’re looking at rehabilitating prisoners through our workshops, th…
Ireland: prison university project to "bring third-level to those furthest away from it"
A programme to support prisoners to go to university, and “bring third-level education to those furthest away from it” will be unveiled by minister for Justice Helen McEntee and her colleague, minister for Higher Education Simon Harris.