Cork Prison overcrowding figures up on the year

CORK Prison’s overcrowding issue has come to a head, with the number of inmates currently in the Cork facility up 76 on the same time last year.

The crisis has led to renewed speculation around the possible future use of the old Cork Prison, which has been suggested as a possible solution to the recent surge.

337 people were in custody in Cork as of Tuesday, January 3, 2024. This is compared to 261 people who resided in Cork Prison on January 3 of last year.

A spokesperson for the Irish Prison Service acknowledged the overcrowding crisis, saying that preliminary discussions have been held concerning possible options for the old Cork Prison.

“The Irish Prison Service held preliminary discussions with a number of bodies as to the possible future uses of the old Cork Prison site in recent years,” the spokesperson said. 

“However, these discussions have only been exploratory in nature. In light of the latest and likely future surge in prisoner numbers and prison overcrowding the site of the Old Cork Prison, which is adjacent to the existing prison, remains of strategic interest to the Irish Prison Service. But, in this regard, no specific or detailed proposals are in consideration at the present time.” 

Fianna Fáil councillor Colm Kelleher said that any provisions being made need to be adequate to accommodate prisoners. 

“The provisions they have in place need to be adequate to accommodate the individuals being held in custody," he told The Echo.

"The people who are incarcerated have had their freedom stripped and that’s as a result of them breaking the law. However, they are still citizens of the state and we have a duty of care to take care of them. I would welcome the reopening of part of the old prison but it will have to be fit for purpose. The previous facility was not fit for purpose." 

"If they are looking to ease pressure so they can accommodate people adequately and not infringe on their human rights while they are incarcerated, the adequate preparations for the old building need to be made.” 

Mr Kelleher stressed that any overcrowding solutions will need to be fit for purpose.

“There are prisoners that are accommodated for long and short periods of time. Some are dealing with substance abuse while the remainder are serving time for other crimes. However, the prison service has to treat everyone fairly and amicably regardless of their crimes.

Mr Kelleher said it is unacceptable to have prisoners sleeping on mattresses.

“We are talking about almost 50 people in prisons across the State who were sleeping on mattresses before Christmas. It just doesn’t paint a good picture.” 

His comments follow a story published by The Echo last October making reference to 10 inmates sleeping on mattresses. The figure was as of September 29, last year.

The Echo understood that each of the 10 prisoners was confined to cells with two other inmates, both of whom had beds.

Irish Penal Reform Trust executive director Saoirse Brady described the measures as inhumane. 

“Repeatedly, Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) has been sounding the alarm on overcrowding across the prison estate,” she told The Echo at the time.

“In February of 2023, we saw the combined capacity of prisons hit 100% and even though prisons are already full, this has continued to increase over the last number of months to reach 102% capacity.”