Record overcrowding at Cork Prison, with 76 inmates sleeping on floors

Cork Prison has broken its own overcrowding record, with 76 inmates in custody currently sleeping on mattresses on the floor due to a lack of bed space.

The prison, which has a capacity of 296, had 372 people in custody yesterday, representing 126% capacity — considerably more than other men’s prisons in Ireland.

The previous record overcrowding high was 365 inmates, recorded on the day of the general election, November 29, 2024. Nationally, there were 536 more people in custody than the Irish Prison Service (IPS) had capacity for.

The Irish Prison Service told The Echo it must accept into custody all people committed to prison by the courts, and as such “has no control over the numbers committed to custody at any given time”.

They added that where the number of people in custody exceeds capacity, they make every effort to deal with it through a combination of inter-prison transfers and appropriate use of structured temporary release.

Record

Sinn Féin TD for Cork North Central Thomas Gould told The Echo: “We are seeing record, and near to record, overcrowding in Cork Prison repeatedly," said Mr Gould

“This creates unsafe conditions, increases the risk to prison officers, and prevents any chance at rehabilitation for those sleeping on mattresses on the floor."

The latest figures came as no decision has been reached on whether the former Cork Prison will be brought back into use for prisoner accommodation, 14 weeks after the Irish Prison Service said a decision was expected “in the coming weeks”.

In October 2024, the IPS denied a Freedom of Information request by The Echo into a feasibility report into its potential use as a prison again, saying: “The department is in the process of considering options with regard to old Cork Prison and have not yet made a final determination in the matter. The document in question is expected to be agreed in the coming weeks.”

In response to a request by The Echo for a date as to when a decision will be reached about the old facility, a spokesperson for the IPS said: “We have nothing further to add since our last statement we issued to you.”

The last statement, issued in October, stated: “The draft report has been received by the Irish Prison Service and it is currently being considered with future consultations with the Department of Justice on any decision if viable options are to be progressed.”

Clarity

Mr Gould said: “The people of the Glen deserve clarity on the future of the old Cork Prison site. While the IPS take months to decide the future of the site, the building continues to rot and people are in constant worry that they will see a second prison opened in the heart of their community.

“This wouldn’t be the right choice for the people of the Glen, for the prison service, or for policing in Cork city. This is leaving everything in limbo, and dangling this prospect over the people of the Glen is damaging the chances of solving the constant overcrowding issues in Cork Prison. We have seen the tragedy that can come from prison overcrowding. The solution is not to reopen a prison in the heart of a residential area.

“The old Cork Prison site could be used right now for the community. Instead it’s being left to rot while the Government are frozen like a deer in headlights on prison overcrowding issues.”

Irish Penal Reform Trust executive director Saoirse Brady previously told The Echo that overcrowding “poses clear risks to both people living in custody and staff”.

“Current discussions around reopening Cork Prison are unhelpful as the prison is not fit for purpose and was closed almost a decade ago because it had no in-cell sanitation.

“We have finally gotten to a stage that slopping out is all but eliminated, we can’t go back.”