Irish prisons are buckling under the strain of overcrowding, with over 1,000 inmates now forced to sleep on bunk beds or mattresses on the floor.
According to the Irish Examiner, many prisoners are also subjected to the indignity of using unscreened toilets in shared cells.
The crisis is fuelling tensions behind bars, with rising disputes and violent outbreaks endangering staff safety.
Prison officers have reported a 40% rise in injuries over the past two years, as overcrowding and drug smuggling spark frequent fights.
A recent report by Inspector of Prisons Mark Kelly singled out Cloverhill Remand Prison, warning that overcrowding has made violence “inevitable.”
He described the conditions as degrading, with temporary measures like bunk beds now becoming permanent fixtures.
Currently, 20% of inmates are living in such conditions, while the Irish Prison Service (IPS) struggles to address rising prisoner numbers. With space running out, the IPS has few options: either pack more inmates into already overcrowded cells or increase the use of temporary releases.
Building new prison spaces is the long-term solution, but any expansion is at least three to four years away, by which time inmate numbers are expected to rise even further.
