Inmates given almost €550,000 in 'bus money' over past five years after release from prison
The annual amount spent helping inmates get to their desired destinations after leaving prison has more than doubled since 2022 due to rising transport costs and a 25 per cent increase in releases.
Advertisement
Last year, the Irish Prison Service (IPS) spent €182,121 on bus, train and taxi fares for inmates upon their release from jail. This was a 16 per cent increase from the previous year, and more than double the €87,598 that was spent in 2022.
Prisoners receive 'pocket money' of up to €2.20 per day while serving custodial sentences, and can earn an additional €3.50 per week by engaging in work training activities.
Nearly €6.8 million in taxpayers' cash was paid to inmates in pocket money over the past two years, while an additional €12.4 million was gifted to them by friends and family on the outside during the same period.
There was more than €1.5 million held in back accounts managed by the IPS on behalf of inmates at the beginning of this year, according to records released under the Freedom of Information Act.
Advertisement
However, if prisoners still need help getting to their desired destination following their release, the IPS can issue a travel voucher, which specifies a destination but not a monetary value.
'Upon release, the [IPS] provides support to assist prisoners in transitioning back into the community,' said a spokesman. 'One aspect of this support is the provision of travel vouchers for those who need assistance reaching their destination.
The IPS is billed directly by transport providers, ensuring that 'released individuals can travel without needing to cover the cost upfront, reducing barriers to reintegration," he explained.
The spokesman said the increase in the costs associated with post-release transport was likely attributable to price increases by travel providers, and a rise in the number of releases each year.
A total of 34,592 prisoners were released during the five years, with the annual number increasing by 26 per cent from 6,438 to 8,113 between 2022 and 2024.
The annual amount spent on 'bus money' for prisoners decreased from €78,200 in 2020 to €43,760 the following year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It increased to €87,598 in 2022 and soared to €156,791 in 2023.
Last year, it increased by another 16 per cent to €182,121.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
18 hours ago
- The Independent
Spacey told actor ‘don't worry about it' after alleged assault, documents claim
Kevin Spacey allegedly sexually assaulted a young actor at a party at The Savoy hotel and then told him 'Don't worry about it', court documents for the High Court legal claim suggest. Ruari Cannon is suing Mr Spacey as well as two organisations connected to the Old Vic Theatre in London, claiming he suffered psychiatric damage as a result of sexual and emotional abuse. The 33-year-old has waived his anonymity in the claim. In court documents seen by the PA news agency, Mr Cannon alleges that Mr Spacey, who was a 'powerful figure and a world-famous actor and celebrity' at the time, assaulted him in about June 2013, when he was 'a very vulnerable young man'. Oscar-winning actor Mr Spacey has previously denied allegations of inappropriate behaviour and wrongdoing, and details of his defence are not yet available. According to the documents, filed in June, Mr Spacey was working as artistic director at the Old Vic Theatre at the time of the alleged assaults on a production of a play by Tennessee Williams known as Sweet Bird Of Youth, and Mr Cannon was a member of the cast in this production. They claim that Mr Spacey 'took a particular interest' in Mr Cannon for 'reasons of sexual interest' and sent him a 'lavish' gift of a framed poster of the 1985 production of the play directed by Harold Pinter. After the press preview of the show on June 12 2013, Mr Cannon attended a party at The Savoy in London organised by The Old Vic Theatre Company (The Cut) and The Old Vic Theatre Trust 2000. It is claimed that one of the alleged assaults took place at the event. Setting out the allegations, Elizabeth-Anne Gumbel KC, for Mr Cannon, said: 'Kevin Spacey pulled the claimant towards him, turned him around through 45 degrees and placed his left hand on the claimant's buttocks and lifted up the recess material of his suit.' It is alleged that Mr Spacey then pushed Mr Cannon's underwear 'as far up' into his bottom as possible, 'so as to cause pain and distress'. Ms Gumbel added: 'Mr Kevin Spacey pulled the claimant closer to him and whispered into the claimant's ear 'Don't worry about it'. 'Mr Spacey made more uncalled for and unwelcome advances to the claimant during the evening.' The following day, Mr Cannon reported the alleged assaults to his stage manager at the Old Vic Theatre, but no action was taken. According to the documents, it is accepted that Mr Cannon did not ask for any action to be taken, and was scared about how any further action might affect his career. Later that year, during the run of the show, Mr Cannon saw Mr Spacey at the Old Vic bar. Mr Spacey allegedly said to him, 'I hear you have a dirty secret', and then said: 'Open up.' Ms Gumbel said: 'Kevin Spacey then forced open the claimant's mouth with his fingers and thumbs and commented 'quite a bad boy' before the claimant could pull away. 'The claimant then left the bar. The forcing open of the claimant's mouth was another assault for which Kevin Spacey was responsible and for which the second and/or third defendants were vicariously liable. 'Further in 2017 when the Old Vic set up a confidential complaints email on October 31 2017 the claimant reported the above complaint again to the Old Vic.' She added that the alleged assaults were carried out by Mr Spacey in the course of his work for the organisations connected to the Old Vic, and they are 'vicariously liable' for the alleged assaults carried out in the context of a theatre production.
BreakingNews.ie
18 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Restorative justice is 'not feasible' in rape case, says Probation Service
The Probation Service have advised the Central Criminal Court that restorative justice is 'not feasible' in the case of a man who raped a Spanish tourist six years ago because he does not accept full responsibility. Christopher O'Grady (33), formerly of Muirhevnamor, Dundalk, Co Louth, was found guilty of one count of raping the then 19-year-old woman on January 1st 2019, following a trial last March. He was homeless at the time. Advertisement In her victim impact statement which was read out by prosecution counsel, Tony McGillicuddy SC, at a previous hearing, the woman said: 'I don't know why, but I want to meet him in a safe space and look him in the eyes and ask him what reason would anyone have to be so cruel to a young woman.' '...I want to know if he believes his own lies. I want him to truly see me and be forced to see himself as monstrous as I saw him.' The sentence hearing was previously adjourned for the prosecution to look into restorative justice for the complainant, with the court hearing that it is rarely utilised for victims in rape cases before the Central Criminal Court. On Thursday, Mr McGillicuddy told the court that an updated probation report includes a recommendation that restorative justice is 'not feasible' at this time, due to O'Grady's position during an interview with a probation officer. Advertisement He told the court that the woman has been made aware of the report's contents and communicated to gardaí that she was 'relieved'. He added that the woman is 'satisfied that the court could take the next step forward'. Mr McGillicuddy asked the court to adjourn finalisation of this sentence as the woman had indicated she would like to be present. Ms Justice Caroline Biggs noted that the 'door is closed' to restorative justice, and this would not be considered aggravating or mitigating by the court when constructing the sentence. Advertisement She also noted the probation report states that O'Grady accepts the woman is traumatised and harm has been done to her but does not believe he is responsible. The judge added that the probation officer said O'Grady 'may be in early stages of contemplation regarding his offending'. She asked defence counsel Padraig Dwyer SC to clarify his client's position, noting the court was previously told O'Grady accepts the jury's verdict and is apologetic. After a brief consultation with his client, Mr Dwyer said O'Grady does accept the verdict that there was 'some wrongdoing on his behalf' in his interactions with the woman and is open to working with the Probation Service. Advertisement He asked the court to consider suspending part of any sentence imposed to encourage rehabilitation. Remanding O'Grady in continuing custody, Ms Justice Biggs adjourned the case to next Thursday, July 31st and said she would finalise the sentence then. In her victim impact statement, the woman outlined the effects the rape have had on her, saying O'Grady turned her life upside down. 'He didn't see the person behind the body,' she said. She described how she can no longer socialise or dance like she used to, is fearful of walking alone at night and is hypervigilant of other young women out at night. Advertisement Mr Dwyer, defending O'Grady, submitted at the earlier hearing that his client was guilty of rape on the basis that he was reckless as to whether the young woman was consenting or not. He said O'Grady now accepts his guilt and wished to apologise to the victim for the hurt and pain he caused her. After some consultation with both O'Grady and the complainant, the court was told that they are both willing to engage in restorative justice. Ms Justice Biggs warned O'Grady that this does not mean he will not be serving a custodial sentence for his offending. She noted that any restorative justice process would need to be managed by appropriate individuals, given the effects of the crime on the complainant. Mr McGillycuddy said he had some knowledge of restorative justice but was 'not aware of it being used for an offence of this nature'. 'I'm not sure how developed that system is or which agency would be appropriate to do it,' he said. The trial heard the woman had been in town to watch the New Year's Eve fireworks that night when she got separated from her friend and came into contact with O'Grady outside a shop. She told the court she was trying to find a bar to meet her friend and O'Grady walked her through town to a car park area where the alleged rape occurred. The woman said she felt 'like a doll' and didn't have any strength in her body during the alleged incident. Afterwards, the court has heard she walked with O'Grady back through the city centre for about 40 minutes, where she got talking to a couple – a man and woman - outside a shop and parted ways with O'Grady. The woman ended up in a B&B with the second man after the woman went home, where they had anal sex before the woman went home to her accommodation. She told the court it was painful and she persuaded the man to stop. The trial was played CCTV footage of this encounter, which occurred in the hallway of the B&B. Ms Justice Biggs warned the jury that they may find this footage 'intrusive' and 'distressing', but she said she had made the decision that it needed to be shown in court as O'Grady had a constitutional right to put the evidence before them. When the complainant woke up the next morning, she told the court she 'realised I had two rapes and there might be a medical issue with that'. She went to hospital. The court heard no charge was brought against the second man, who gave evidence in the trial. Sergeant Eoghan Kirwan told the court that O'Grady has 65 previous convictions, including public order offences, criminal damage, drugs and theft. He took a bench warrant while on bail for this offence and has been in custody since August 2024. Defence counsel said O'Grady was living a 'shambolic' lifestyle at the time of the offence, that he was homeless, begging on the streets and doing drugs. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at or visit Rape Crisis Help.
BreakingNews.ie
18 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Spacey told actor ‘don't worry about it' after alleged assault, documents claim
Kevin Spacey allegedly sexually assaulted a young actor at a party at The Savoy hotel and then told him 'Don't worry about it', court documents for the High Court legal claim suggest. Ruari Cannon is suing Mr Spacey as well as two organisations connected to the Old Vic Theatre in London, claiming he suffered psychiatric damage as a result of sexual and emotional abuse. Advertisement The 33-year-old has waived his anonymity in the claim. In court documents seen by the PA news agency, Mr Cannon alleges that Mr Spacey, who was a 'powerful figure and a world-famous actor and celebrity' at the time, assaulted him in about June 2013, when he was 'a very vulnerable young man'. Kevin Spacey attending Cannes Film Festival. Photo: Doug Peters/PA. Oscar-winning actor Mr Spacey has previously denied allegations of inappropriate behaviour and wrongdoing, and details of his defence are not yet available. According to the documents, filed in June, Mr Spacey was working as artistic director at the Old Vic Theatre at the time of the alleged assaults on a production of a play by Tennessee Williams known as Sweet Bird Of Youth, and Mr Cannon was a member of the cast in this production. Advertisement They claim that Mr Spacey 'took a particular interest' in Mr Cannon for 'reasons of sexual interest' and sent him a 'lavish' gift of a framed poster of the 1985 production of the play directed by Harold Pinter. After the press preview of the show on June 12 2013, Mr Cannon attended a party at The Savoy in London organised by The Old Vic Theatre Company (The Cut) and The Old Vic Theatre Trust 2000. It is claimed that one of the alleged assaults took place at the event. Setting out the allegations, Elizabeth-Anne Gumbel KC, for Mr Cannon, said: 'Kevin Spacey pulled the claimant towards him, turned him around through 45 degrees and placed his left hand on the claimant's buttocks and lifted up the recess material of his suit.' Advertisement It is alleged that Mr Spacey then pushed Mr Cannon's underwear 'as far up' into his bottom as possible, 'so as to cause pain and distress'. Ms Gumbel added: 'Mr Kevin Spacey pulled the claimant closer to him and whispered into the claimant's ear 'Don't worry about it'. 'Mr Spacey made more uncalled for and unwelcome advances to the claimant during the evening.' The following day, Mr Cannon reported the alleged assaults to his stage manager at the Old Vic Theatre, but no action was taken. Advertisement According to the documents, it is accepted that Mr Cannon did not ask for any action to be taken, and was scared about how any further action might affect his career. Later that year, during the run of the show, Mr Cannon saw Mr Spacey at the Old Vic bar. Mr Spacey allegedly said to him, 'I hear you have a dirty secret', and then said: 'Open up.' Ms Gumbel said: 'Kevin Spacey then forced open the claimant's mouth with his fingers and thumbs and commented 'quite a bad boy' before the claimant could pull away. Advertisement 'The claimant then left the bar. The forcing open of the claimant's mouth was another assault for which Kevin Spacey was responsible and for which the second and/or third defendants were vicariously liable. 'Further in 2017 when the Old Vic set up a confidential complaints email on October 31 2017 the claimant reported the above complaint again to the Old Vic.' She added that the alleged assaults were carried out by Mr Spacey in the course of his work for the organisations connected to the Old Vic, and they are 'vicariously liable' for the alleged assaults carried out in the context of a theatre production. Law firms Carter-Ruck, which is representing Mr Spacey, and Clyde & Co, representing the companies, have been approached for comment.
