A Department of Justice’s proposal to increase prison capacity is ‘disappointing’, the Irish Penal Reform Trust has said. 

In January, there were some 50 prisoners sleeping on the floor because of lack of capacity and by April the number had swelled to nearly 200. 

“It’s been happening constantly and is going to be the future as far as we can see when you watch numbers and you look at the daily figures going up and up,” Prison Officers Association General Secretary Karl Dalton said at the beginning of the year. 

“We know what’s happening in the courts [and] with no sign of any new accommodation it’s just unacceptable.”

Yesterday, interim Justice Minister Simon Harris told the Prison Officer Association Conference he had sent a memo to Cabinet asking for approval for four capital projects that would deliver 400 new beds by 2028. 

A prisoner in handcuffs arriving at The Four Courts in Dublin.

The Irish Penal Reform Trust said much of the increase in the prison population was due to the return of courts post-pandemic but also a sign of policy “failure”. 

“The Department of Justice in September last year published a review of penal policy options,” Executive Director Molly Joyce told Newstalk Breakfast. 

“It was guided by the idea that actually imprisonment is not always the most effective response to crime and that there is often a cheaper and more effective response - for example community sanction.” 

Ms Joyce said a greater focus on rehabilitation and reintegration into society would be more effective and believes “the will is there” in Government to do that. 

“What we haven’t seen is sustained investment and focus on that,” she said. 

“I suppose that’s why we were disappointed to see some of the comments from the Minister around expanding the prison estate because we don’t want to see a diversion of focus to that when, actually, we haven’t really put the correct amount of implementation focus on these other measures which we think will be more effective.” 

Earlier this month, Minister Harris told The Pat Kenny Show he believed strongly in rehabilitation and alternatives to prison where appropriate but longer custodial sentences could serve as “an important deterrent”. 

With that in mind, the Government is due to introduce legislation to increase sentences for those who assault frontline workers - such as Gardaí and hospital staff. 

Main image: A man in prison. Picture by: Gerrit de Heus / Alamy Stock Photo