Irish prisons at risk of ‘tragic event' if overcrowding not fixed, warn prison officers
Tony Power, president of the Prison Officers' Association (POA), has called on Minister for Justice
Jim O'Callaghan
and the
Irish Prison Service
to address the fact that more than 5,300 prisoners are now in custody, with 358 sleeping on floors on Monday because there were no beds for them.
The overcrowding is so acute it has created an intolerable situation for prison officers and other staff, as well as posing dangers for prisoners as tensions increased among them.
He added prisoners should 'not be expected to live' in the conditions in evidence across the Irish prison system.
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It was now imperative, said Mr Power, that Mr O'Callaghan and his officials in the Department of Justice allocated a budget to create more prison spaces.
'It is our contention that the safe working capacity of the present-day prison estate is 4,300, that is more than 1,000 fewer than what is currently in custody,' he told the opening session of the POA annual delegate conference in Galway on Wednesday night.
'I don't want to sound alarmist, but if we don't find an immediate solution to this problem, we will have a tragic event or some form of crisis on all our hands.'
The Irish Times last month
revealed all secure jails in the Republic had reached, or exceeded, capacity for the first time
.
The number of male prisoners in
Mountjoy Prison
, Dublin, had grown to 1,000 for the first time. There were 5,185 prisoners in custody at the time, which has since increased, meaning the system is operating at more than 112 per cent of its bed capacity.
The women's wing of Limerick Prison was the most overcrowded, at 163 per cent capacity. The Irish prison system consists of 12 secure jails along with two open prisons.
Mr Power said although prison was intended to be rehabilitative, that process was 'impossible' without basic living space for prisoners. Overcrowding, and the pressures it placed on the system, also sabotaged resources such as 'school spaces or the workshop spaces to allow prisoners engage constructively during their sentences'.
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Mr Power added that in 2019, just before the pandemic, there were 1,500 fewer prisoners in the system compared with today, yet his association back then sounded a warning about a rapidly emerging 'disgraceful' overcrowding issue.
In 2023, the POA had also warned then acting minister for justice,
Simon Harris
, it was unacceptable that 167 prisoners were sleeping on mattresses on floors, yet that number had exponentially increased in the intervening two years.
There followed 'hollow promises' of 650 extra prison spaces, including new builds at Cloverhill in Dublin, the Midlands in Portlaoise, and Castlerea in Roscommon, as well as a four-story block on the Mountjoy campus. However, two years later 'not a sod has been turned on any of these projects'.
Mr O'Callaghan is due to address delegates on Thursday, while Irish Prison Service director general Caron McCaffrey is also due to attend the conference.
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Peter's first near death experience got him used to the idea that, from now on, it was going to be a regular occurrence. The Irish man had been monitoring Russian troop movements just east of Bakhmut with the Ukrainian Army when his team were called in to reinforce a platoon of Ukrainian soldiers. But Russia launched a massive assault on the area and within hours, Peter and his colleagues were surrounded. "There was no relief or help coming. We were completely isolated," he said. "As a group... how do you react to such a situation? Ok, we're done here. Ok, what are our options? Take as many of them out as we can before we die and hope for the best," said Peter. As a last stand, they fought until sunset and made one gamble to get out. "We had a small escape route that we hoped the Russians weren't aware of. "We went along that escape route and managed to get out of the position we were in... we were targeted by drones and arterially," Peter said. 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Immense highs and the lowest of lows were always on the cards on the battlefield. "If you go into an area and you are liberating it from Russian occupation and the women and children are coming out crying and cheering… that's something that stays with me," he said. Peter added: "After how many days of fighting in Kharkiv counteroffensive…we eventually reached the Russian border and that was a huge sense of pride. We had achieved what we set out to do to get Russians off Ukrainian land." Drones have played a transformative role in the war in Ukraine and have been used extensively by both sides for surveillance, targeting, and direct attacks. The conflict has effectively become the world's first large-scale drone war, showcasing how inexpensive, unmanned systems can shape modern battlefield tactics. According to Peter, their use restricted troop movements and their sound left a lasting impact. "You had to have 360-degree awareness. 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I was still in combat mode. I avoided everyone. Didn't go out. Didn't socialise" he said. A friend put him in contact with Óglaigh Náisiúnta na hÉireann (ONE), which provides support and advocacy for Irish veterans. "One of the biggest disconnects you have when you come back is that everyone is a civilian," Peter said. He added: "They haven't been to war. They haven't seen what you've seen. They haven't done what you've done. Once you start talking to ex-military, you are able to connect and resonate with each other." Peter is one of seven known Defence Forces veterans who have returned from fighting in Ukraine and are now seeking help from the charity. There are calls for others to come forward. ONE support officer Audra Larkin said their services are tailored to those with military service. "The ONE is a veterans organisation and they are veterans of the Defence Forces as well as the Ukrainian Army. So, the language is very similar and we can engage with them in that language that they find difficult to be understood in the civilian world," she said. For Peter, who is home two years, he has noticed a huge difference in his health thanks to ONE. He admitted that his time in Ukraine was probably the most important period of his life. "You were involved in really important incidents that helped changed part of the war. We helped liberate places from Russian forces, something that I'll always remember," he said. And despite everything that has happened, when asked if he would go back the answer was quick and definite. "Yes," he said. "When you come back, you try and find purpose in life. You come back to Ireland, you try and work a job, you're socialising at the weekends and doing all the simple things that people take for granted. "But you're not going in, doing missions, going into combat or liberating towns, saving comrades, retrieving bodies, as grim as it might be," Peter said. He added: "At least you are doing something pretty important and making a significant difference. When you come home you realise that's lacking.
