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The Journal
9 hours ago
- Politics
- The Journal
How does Ireland's prison overcrowding crisis compare to other European countries?
EUROPE'S PRISON POPULATION is increasing, with many countries around the continent, including Ireland, experience dangerous levels of overcrowding. According to analysis of the latest data from Eurostat, Europe's central statistics database, there was a 3.2% increase in the continent's prison population in 2023. That year, 13 countries in Europe were experiencing overcrowding. Very high levels of incarcerations were also recorded between 1993 and 2023. In Ireland, where prison capacity on Friday was recorded at a level of 117% , the issue with overcrowding has been deemed a crisis by legal experts, staff unions and senior sources within the Irish penal system. An increase in the number of judges , changes to legislation and sentencing guidelines, as well as underinvestment into the prison estate in the country have been contributing factors to the crisis. The Eurostat data shows, however, that this trend has been occurring across EU member states over a 30-year period. At its peak in 2012, prisons in Europe were accommodating 533,000 people. Government has initiated an expansion plan for the construction of 1,500 new places – but industry associations like the Irish Prison Officers Association believe that 'building out' of the problem is not the solution. Speaking at an event in May, President of the association Tony Power said that investments must be made into the existing system to provide more spaces. Staff should not be 'expected' to work in overcrowded conditions, he added. Mattresses on the floor in Europe Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan has pledged to find ways to accelerate the delivery of more prison spaces . Advertisement A senior source at the service previously told The Journal that building more spaces, given the timescale involved in capital projects, is not seen as an option. This has led to an increase in the number of people sleeping on the floor in Irish facilities , something the Irish Penal Reform Trust deeply condemns. These figures are so high that the service started recording them in official daily statistics this year. On Friday, 404 people were sleeping on mattresses the ground in Irish prisons. French prison population levels reached record highs in March as a total of 82,152 people – roughly the same size of a full house at Croke Park – were in custody in French prisons that month. The official capacity is 62,539. More than 4,500 people were sleeping on the floor at French facilities – 15 of which are at 200% capacity. Deportations and releases France's Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin has called for the deportation of foreign prisoners so that they can serve their sentences in their home nations. In Ireland, however, the Irish Penal Reform Trust has called for imprisonment to be regarded as a 'last resort' and for alternative measures , such as community service or supervised temporary release, to be encouraged. The Irish Prison Service has increased the population of prisoners on temporary release , which sees the supervised release of low-level, non-violent offenders serving sentences outside of prison under strict conditions. The State has been criticised for allowing the temporary release scheme as a pressure valve to overcrowding, but sources in the prison management say the programme is the only way it can maintain safe population levels at facilities in the country. In Austria, experts say prison sentences are still too common and, often, people are committed for minor offences. Facilities in the country are at 108% capacity, as of May. Access to rehabilitative care In Spain, the country has adopted a more rehabilitative approach. It allows prisoners a gradual transition to more open regimes, based on their behaviour and risk of re-offending. Similar programmes are available in Ireland . Data from Spain shows that 80% of people released from prison do not return to crime. Related Reads Court escorts for prisoners at risk due to overcrowding, Irish prisons boss warns Fears within prison service that prison overcrowding increasing risk of violence and rioting New ankle monitors could be an alternative to being held on remand, Irish prisons boss says Overcrowding is reducing the population's access to services in Ireland . Sources have said that offenders placed on supervised release or short sentences are, sometimes, not provided with any rehabilitative care. The head of the Irish Prison Service told reporters last month that up to 2,000 prisoners are currently on waiting lists to access psychology support services. Director General Caron McCaffrey said there are also smaller waiting lists for other services, such as addiction therapy, education and training programmes. She said a 'whole of government approach' is needed to boost services such as education, training and therapy in prisons. Responding to questions by The Journal in May, she admitted that people are sometimes released before receiving care. High levels of overcrowding at prisons in Austria is leading to similar issues to what is seen in Ireland, where prisoners outnumber support staff. The European Court of Auditors recently criticised Vienna's lack of investment. Changes are being led from prison management, however, to boost rehabilitation resources in Irish prisons. Existing staff are being upskilled and trained on methods to provide and assist in the care of prisoners with mental health issues. Additionally, a peer-led, pilot programme has been launched in Dublin's Mountjoy Prison which trains and educates prisoners on providing addiction care to others. — This article is part of PULSE, a European collaborative journalism project. With reporting by Maria Delaney (The Journal Investigates, Ireland), Davide Madeddu (Il Sole 24 Ore, Italy), Kim Son Hoang (Der Standard, Austria) and Ana Somavilla (El Confidencial, Spain) as well as translation services by Ciarán Lawless (Voxeurop). Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
RTÉ News
6 days ago
- RTÉ News
Deportation of 35 Nigerian asylum seekers cost €500,000
New figures show the cost of deporting 35 Nigerian asylum seekers earlier this month was half-a-million euro, when prison detention costs are added. When 35 Nigerian asylum seekers - 21 adult men, 9 adult women and 5 children - were deported on 4 June last the Ministers at the Department of Justice said the operation cost €324,714. That figure was for the provision of the operation's flights. When prison costs are taken into account, the bill rises to over half-a-million euro. The Department confirmed to RTÉ's News at One that the figure of €325,000 was for flights and it did not include prison costs associated with holding 28 of the Nigerian deportees for an average of 27 days each. This means 756 prison days were used to accommodate the 28 detainees - 21 adult men and 7 adult women. Calculations based on Department of Justice figures show those costs could have amounted to €205,201. The Department confirmed to Morning Ireland the average cost of holding a prison in jail is nearly €99,072 each year. When that amount is divided by 365 days, the average cost amounts to €271.43 per day to house a prisoner. A more conservative estimate from Irish Penal Reform Trust figures would put the amount to hold the 28 Nigerians for an average of 27 days each at just over €173,000. Irish Penal Reform Trust figures from 2023 estimated the average cost to house a prison is €230 per day. The Department of Justice told RTÉ's News at One that "the cost of detention of the cohort in question" is not available. It said: "The cost of detention for the cohort in question is not available. The Irish Prison Service advise that the average annual cost of an available, staffed prison space for all prisoners during the calendar year 2024 was €99,072. This includes net expenditure incurred within the year (such as salaries, utilities/ maintenance, ICT, prison services, etc.) excluding capital expenditure on buildings, ICT and vehicle purchases." 'Prisons are not appropriate' The Irish Penal Reform Trust said prisons are not appropriate places for failed asylum seekers being deported from Ireland. "Prisons are not the appropriate place for them to be detained - especially if they are sharing spaces with people who have been convicted when they are not convicted themselves," said the Saoirse Brady, executive director of the Irish Penal Reform Trust. Ms Brady also said sending refugee detainees in Irish prisons was putting pressure on a service where prisoners sleep on mattresses beside toilets. Gabriel Keaveney, Deputy General Secretary of the Prison Officers Association said having additional people sent to Irish prisons adds to the existing overcrowding crisis. Prison service figures showed 5,415 prisoners were in custody on Monday. The bed capacity is 4,665 - that means its operating at 117% capacity - in all of the prisons. 422 prisoners were on mattresses on floors. 585 were on temporary release. The Department of Justice said in a statement: "The majority of those detained were held in Cloverhill Remand Prison or Mountjoy Female Prison (Dóchas Centre) as appropriate. Other places of detention have been Cork Prison, Limerick Prison and Midlands Prison." It added: "The Minister is committed to ensuring that Ireland's immigration system is robust and rules based. The enforcement aspects of our laws, including deportation orders, are an essential requirement for the system to work effectively and to ensure that the public has confidence in the application of our legislation in this area." Charter flight contract Charter flight services to deport people from Ireland are provided by Air Partner Ltd under a contract entered into in November 2024. This contract, the Department said, was signed following a competitive and open procurement process and the costs for the provision of the aircraft for these operations has been: €102,476 for a one-way flight to Georgia in February; €103,751 for a one-way flight to Georgia in May and €324,714 for a return flight to Nigeria in June. Costs for the provision of supporting charter services such as ground handling services, on-board paramedics and flight manager have been €46,352 so far in 2025. The department added: "The potential value of this contract is €5m over the lifespan of the contract. The term of the contract is 3 years with a possibility to extend it twice by one year, a potential lifespan of 5 years in total. The total expenditure under the contract with Air Partner will be based on the number of Charter Flights provided, the frequency of which will be determined by the operational needs of the State." "So far in 2025, 106 people have been removed on charter deportation flights and 54 deportation orders have been enforced on commercial flights. The majority of these cases have involved periods of detention prior to departure. Any children removed were part of family groups and were not detained. Additionally, 23 people subject to deportation orders are confirmed to have left Ireland unescorted so far in 2025," the statement added. A person who is the subject of a deportation order may be held in detention for up to 56 days for the purpose of ensuring their deportation from the State. An application to extend this period of detention must be made to the District Court.
