The case of Michaella McCollum Connolly has shed light on the issue of Irish people in prisons abroad.
However, exact figures for the number of Irish citizens in prisons abroad do not exist. But there are a few ball park figures which can give you an idea of numbers.
The Irish Council for Prisoners Overseas, which works on behalf of Irish prisoners overseas and their families, estimate that they work with over 1,000 Irish cases.
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According to their estimates 95 per cent of those prisoners (at least 700) are held in the UK, while the rest are scattered throughout the USA (around 30 people), Europe, South America and Asia.
The Department of Foreign Affairs does not compile an exact number of Irish citizens in prisons abroad.
But according to figures provided by the embassy network, 290 Irish citizens were arrested abroad in 2012, although not all went to prison.
There are added complications when it comes to collecting exact numbers as citizens awaiting deportation and arraignment could be deemed incarcerated though not yet prisoners within a penal system. Meanwhile the embassies only record cases that come to their attention or when their assistance is sought.
In addition some prisoners do not seek such assistance particularly if they are arrested in English speaking locations, for example.
However the DFA did provide figures for the number of Irish people imprisoned abroad in 2012 and the countries in which they were detained:
Australia 5
Belgium 2
Cambodia 1
Croatia 1
France 3
Germany 1
Great Britain 5
Morocco 1
Norway 1
Pakistan 1
Philippines 1
Spain 2
The Netherlands 3
Ukraine 1
United Arab Emirates 1
USA 4
View Irish people imprisoned abroad in 2012 in a larger map
