Record-breaking figure as 388 now in custody in Cork prison

The number of inmates in Cork Prison has risen to yet another record-breaking figure, with 388 people in custody on Monday.

Nearly a quarter of all those incarcerated there are now sleeping on the floor.

The prison has capacity for 296 people but has been consistently over capacity for the last two years, with the figures reaching 372 in February, which remained the record until this month.

The figures crept up to the then-record high and exceeded it during the first week of July, then rose to a new record on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of last week, before falling by one from 386 to 385 on Friday.

The latest figures after the weekend show a new record of 388 has been hit, meaning there are about 92 inmates sleeping on mattresses on floors, as nearly 24% of all the people in the prison do not have a bed.

Overall, the figures represent 131% capacity, considerably above the national average, which is 118%. However, all closed prisons, with the exception of Arbour House, used for sex offenders, are over full capacity, and the prison service is short 831 beds nationally.

A total of 63 people are currently on temporary release from Cork Prison, a system that the Irish Prison Service (IPS) says it utilises when the system is over capacity.

An IPS spokesperson explained: “Where the number of people in custody exceeds the maximum capacity in any prison, officials in the Irish Prison Service make every effort to deal with this through a combination of inter-prison transfers and structured temporary release.”