Prison overcrowding leads to record revenues at prison tuck shops

Gordon Deegan

Overcrowding in Irish prisons contributed to prison tuck shops enjoying record revenues of €12.47 million for 2025.

New figures provided by the Minister for Justice, Migration and Home Affairs, Jim O’Callaghan show that two tuck shops at Mountjoy and Wheatfield prisons recorded revenues in excess of €2 million last year.

In a written Dáil reply to Aidan Farrelly, O’Callaghan revealed that the tuck shop at Mountjoy prison generated revenues of €2.72 million in 2025 with the tuck shop at the Midlands prison making revenues of €2.33 million.

The combined revenues at the 11 tuck shops of €12.47 million in 2025 are a 20.6 per cent increase on the combined revenues of €10.34 million for 2024.

The surge in revenues comes against the background of a larger customer base for the tuck shops due to continuing overcrowding in prisons.

On the last day of last year, the prison system was at 122 per cent of bed capacity, compared to 111 per cent  capacity at the end of 2024.

Daily statistics published by the Irish Prison Service (IPS) show that the prison system on Thursday was running at 124 per cent capacity.

The figures provided by Minister O’Callaghan show that the combined profits enjoyed by tuck shops last year increased by 61 per cent from €486,159 to €781,224.

The most profitable tuck shop last year was Midlands prison, where a surplus of €158,502 was recorded.

Three other tuck shops recorded profits in excess of €100,000 - Mountjoy recorded profits of €130,732; Limerick prison was €115,208, and Wheatfield €109,847.

The tuck shops sell to prisoners a range of confectionery, soft drinks, tobacco products, toiletries, magazines and other items.

Purchases are made on a cashless basis, with payment for items consumed being drawn from prisoners’ personal money accounts.

In his reply, O’Callaghan stated that to assist in alleviating the cost of tuck shop items for prisoners, a decision was taken by the IPS to change the sales price for all non-tobacco products from February 2021.

He said that tuck shop items are for sale at cost price plus 5 per cent, with the exception of tobacco, which remains at the Recommended Retail Price.

O’Callaghan stated that the Prisoner Assist Programme Fund (PAPF) is funded from surpluses earned in the prison shops.

He said that surpluses “from the prison shops may also be used on an ad hoc basis, to fund prisoner initiatives as approved by the Directors Leadership Team”.

The figures show that four other tuck shops generated revenues in excess of €1 million last year - Wheatfield at €1.59 million; Limerick at €1.27 million; Cloverhill at €1.19 million and Castlerea at €1.03 million.

Two other prison tuck shops enjoyed revenues between €1 million and €500,000 with revenues of €988,279 at Cork prison and revenues of €817,669 at Portlaoise prison.

The revenue figures for the other prisons show that revenues at Arbour Hill totalled €211,977, Loughan House €133,906, €159,884 at Shelton Abbey.

In the two months to the end of February this year, prison tuck shops have recorded revenues of €2.2 million.