THERE have been 12 cases of Covid-19 in Cork prison this year. That is according to Department of Justice figures revealed by the Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, in response to a parliamentary question lodged by Independent TD Catherine Connolly.

THERE are no cases of Covid-19 currently in Cork Prison, as other prisons across the country battle outbreaks of the virus. On Sunday, it was revealed there were 71 positive cases of the virus in three prisons, with Cloverhill the worst affected.

Some restrictions around prison visits are being lifted this week.

According to statistics from the Department of Justice, there were 64 assaults of prisoners on prisoners recorded in the prison last year – up from 61 the previous year.

A NATIONAL policy is being developed by the Irish Prison Service to ensure the safety of transgender people in custody. That is according to an inspection report on Limerick prison, published by the Office of the Inspector of Prisons.

JUST under 10% of inmates in prisons last year in Ireland had an address from Cork.

PRISON visits are not expected to resume in Cork prison until at least next month according to the Junior Justice Minister, Hildegarde Naughton.

A DOCTOR has been appointed on a full-time basis for Cork Prison. The GP will take up the role in mid-August and it is the first time a GP will be based within the prison campus.

AN advocate for prison reform says a few nights in prison is not enough to rehabilitate offenders.

THE number of people on temporary release from Cork prison is close to 60 in recent days. According to the Irish Prison Service, the number of inmates on temporary release on Monday was 56, while there were 57 on temporary release last Thursday.

THE number of prisoners being given temporary release from Cork Prison is increasing. Fifty people were on temporary release on Tuesday, with 268 inmates in the prison. The average number on temporary release in recent weeks was in the 30s.

A 30-year-old man serving a sentence at Cork Prison was caught with €1,800 worth of heroin and over €200 worth of cannabis supplied to him by a visitor.

A NEW model of intervention for the mental health of prisoners is to be introduced in prisons in the coming months.

AN "in-cell" phone service allowing prisoners to connect with the Samaritans has been introduced to combat mental health issues during the pandemic.

THERE are currently close to 60 people awaiting psychology services at Cork prison, according to the latest figures available.

IN-CELL phones were provided for inmates of Cork prison during the past year to help them retain contact with their families during the Covid-19 restrictions.

Cork Prison confirmed its first case of Covid-19 today, but said the case was a new inmate, with symptoms, and the case was caught before the prisoner mixed with anyone else.

THE number of drug seizures made at Cork prison this year is almost on a par with last year, despite visitor restrictions across the prison estate.

FAMILIES of prisoners are being urged to post any items they want their loved ones to receive in the coming days because all mail must be quarantined before being given to inmates. The Irish Prison Service has issued the warning to families.

A prisoner threatened a prison officer in Cork Prison with the words, “With one phone call you will be done,” and today he was sentenced to an extra ten months in jail for making the threat.

A NEW regime for inspections of Cork prison and other prisons in Ireland has been launched. The new framework will inspect prisons on a range of outcomes, including respect and dignity, health and wellbeing, and rehabilitation and development.

FIFTY prisoners have suffered injuries in Cork Prison in the first seven months of the year. According to figures supplied to The Echo from the Irish Prison Service through the Freedom of Information Act, one of the inmates was removed to hospital.

THE son of chef Rachel Allen has been released from prison on temporary release. Joshua Allen was given reviewable temporary release from Cork prison at the start of the month.

A PRISONER has been transferred to Cork prison in recent days after an attempt to disrupt Covid-19 restrictions in Mountjoy prison.

A PRISONER has been transferred to Cork prison in recent days after an attempt to disrupt Covid-19 restrictions in Mountjoy prison.

SIXTEEN inmates of Cork Prison were in quarantine earlier this week while one was cocooning. Those in quarantine included inmates put there on doctor’s instructions after showing symptoms similar to those of Covid-19.

THE number of inmates in Cork prison has plummeted by almost 60 since the start of the public health restrictions to halt the spread of Covid-19. On March 12, there were 319 inmates in the prison, while an additional 72 were out on temporary release.

INMATES in Cork Prison are being compensated for a reduction in out-of-cell time by getting access to Netflix for the duration of the Covid-19 outbreak.

THE number of prisoners in Cork prison has been rising in the past week, while the numbers on temporary release have dropped. On Wednesday, there were 270 in custody in the 296-bed facility, while 96 were on temporary release.

THE practice of quarantining new prisoners at Cork Prison for 14 days was clarified today following concerns expressed by a district judge that the protocol might be unconstitutional.

A NEW practice of putting prisoners arriving in Cork Prison into isolation for 14 days was described by a District Judge today as “bordering on unconstitutional.

One of two prison officers attached to Cork Prison who was diagnosed with Covid-19 has been discharged from hospital. The two officers tested positive for the infection in the past two weeks.

PRISON visits have been banned as the numbers being granted temporary release continue to rise at Cork prison.

MORE than 100 inmates of Cork prison are now on temporary release as the Irish Prison Service frees up space to prepare for Coronavirus cases in the prison system.

MORE than 90 inmates are on temporary release from Cork prison as part of measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the facility.

A prisoner who apologised unreservedly for spitting blood and saliva into the eyes and mouth of a prison officer later complained that it was a disgrace and a joke for him to get a five-month jail sentence for the assault.

STAFF in Cork Prison are concerned about how the Circuit Court sessions in the coming weeks will impact on an already overcrowded jail.

A WOMAN caught with €800 worth of cannabis in her car told gardaí the drugs were for onward transmission to Cork Prison.

MORE than 40 prisoners were given temporary release in recent days, including three who had threatened or attempted to murder, as overcrowding becomes a growing problem at Cork Prison.

ONE in seven inmates in Cork prison are on methadone. According to figures released by Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan, 41 inmates of the prison were on the drug on October 31.

A PRISONER who assaulted an officer in Cork Prison was warned by a sentencing judge today: “When you see the uniform, you have to back off.

THERE are 27 people waiting for access to a psychology service in Cork prison. That is according to figures released by Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan. They are waiting for either triage or intervention.

A CORK woman helping prisoners’ families described the heartbreak for mothers spending part of their child’s communion day in the visiting room of a jail.

THERE are no plans to hire a permanent GP for Cork Prison. The prison, which has a capacity for 296 inmates, is served by a locum GP service. Just four prisons out of the State’s 12 have their own dedicated GP.

SEVERAL workshops have been affected by a shortage of staff at Cork prison, according to The Cork Prison Visiting Committee’s 2017 report published by the Department of Justice.

THERE are 15 inmates on mattresses on the floor of Cork Prison today because of overcrowding. There are 311 prisoners in the prison, having climbed from earlier in the week. Figures have spiked at the prison a number of times in recent weeks.

TWO-thirds of Cork prison’s inmates are on prescription drugs. That’s according to figures supplied by the Irish Prison Service through the Freedom of Information Act.

THERE are 263 legal cases being taken against the State by former prisoners for having to slop out in the old Cork prison. The cases are among 1,600 being taken nationally, with the vast majority of those relating to Mountjoy.

THE way in which privileges such as extra visits and phone calls are given to prisoners in Cork and other prisons is currently under review.

CORK Prison is already overcrowded - less than three years after opening. Five inmates have been sleeping on mattresses on the floor of the new Cork Prison in the past two days.