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Number of sex offenders in Irish jails up 16% amid ‘epidemic of violence against women'
Sex offender numbers in Irish prisons have jumped by almost 16% in a year with those 800 prisoners costing taxpayers €80m annually.
The figures, released by the Irish Prison Service to Ireland South MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú under Freedom of Information gave the sex offender numbers in prison as of May 31 this year as 800.
That was up from 692 sexual offenders in jail on May 31, 2024. In 2018, the figure was 172 .
The figures also show that 235 sex offenders were released from Irish prisons in 2024, an increase of 34% on 2023 when just 175 sex offenders were released.
Up to May 31, 2025, 103 sex offenders were freed.
Ms Ní Mhurchú also pointed to CSO figures which show an upward trend in the offence of 'rape and sexual assault' across most Garda divisions over the past 20 years.
Ireland South MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú seeks a meeting with the justice minister to press for a suite of reforms to tackle the dramatic rise in cases of violence against women.
• In the Cork North garda division, a 170% increase was noted over those 20 years, rising from 40 recorded rapes or sexual assaults in 2003 to 108 in 2024.
• Cork West saw a 186% increase from 21 in 2003 to 60 in 2024.
• In Cork City, there was a 149% increase from 78 in 2003 to 194 in 2024.
• Limerick saw a 170% increase over 20 years and Kerry saw a 104% increase.
• The highest increase was in Dublin South Central which saw a 350% increase rising from 44 in 2003 to 198 in 2024.
Ms Ní Mhurchú described the figures as a wakeup call to action, reflecting a clear epidemic of violence against women.
The former family law barrister called for a suite of measures to tackle dramatic rises in violence against women including:
A review of sentencing for violent crimes against women;
Advanced training for circuit and district court judges to the sensitivities involved in such cases;
More consultation rooms for victims in courts and a more victim centred approach;
A thorough investigation into why we have seen 10-fold increases in the number of rapes and sexual assaults across every county in Ireland;
More focused measures to rehabilitate sexual offenders in prison.
Ms Ní Mhurchú said she will be requesting a meeting with justice minister Jim O'Callaghan, to discuss the immediacy of what she has termed a crisis.
Limited rehabilitation
She raised concerns about the Irish prison system's ability to rehabilitate sexual offenders and questioned the value for money of spending €80m of taxpayers' money every year to house sex offenders who are not being treated.
The Irish Prison Service's Building Better Lives treatment programme for sex offenders was replaced last year with the 'New Chapters' programme.
Figures provided to Ms Ní Mhurchú in August 2024 showed that just eight sex offenders were participating in the Building Better Lives Programme. Six sexual offenders completed that programme in 2024 before it was cancelled in October.
'New Chapters' programme
Since November 1 last year, 56 participants completed a group programme under New Chapters and 24 are currently engaged in New Chapters group programmes, the Irish Prison Service told the Irish Examiner.
The prison service said that New Chapters "provides for a broader range of options for treatment, which is more responsive to the needs of individuals, and this has led to increased participation rates."
"This will improve the risk reduction measures available in custody," the service stated. "Anyone who has been convicted of a sexual offence and committed to custody from 1st November 2024 has been managed under this new model."
Participation in the programme is not mandatory as imposed interventions are compromised in their efficacy as well as raising ethical and legal concerns, the prison service said.
The Building Better Lives (BBL) programme had been delivered as the treatment programme for sexual offending since 2009 in Irish prisons.
"Participation rates for the BBL programme had traditionally been low, primarily because of: Strict inclusion and exclusion criteria for participation, including the requirement for stability of mental health and personality, sufficient sentence length, being assessed as moderate to high risk of re-offending, and capacity to engage in group programmes; and the exclusion of those who deny their offence," the Irish Prison Service stated.
