Violence in Mountjoy surged last year and the prison currently housing significantly more inmates than it has capacity for.

In theory, the prison has a maximum capacity for 725 people but is currently holding 922 inmates. 

Irish Examiner Security Correspondent Cormac O’Keefe visited the prison last week and found an institution that is struggling to cope. 

“Inter prisoner violence has gone up by about 20% in 2023 - we don’t have 2024 figures yet,” he told The Pat Kenny Show. 

“For the prison officers and prison staff, it’s a serious issue; the Mountjoy Governor said they had a 20% increase in interventions in 2024. 

“That’s where prison officers have to go in and break up a fight or some sort of disturbance.” 

Mountjoy prison in Phibsboro, Dublin. Picture by: Collins Photos.

Mr O’Keefe said this is having a “significant” impact on prisoner rehabilitation. 

He also noted there is no extra capacity available that would allow the justice system to lock up a significant number of people at short notice. 

“They’ve gone from a situation where they had a bit of wiggle room; back in 2022, they were at 86% capacity,” he said. 

“That means they can respond to incidents - say, if there’s fights or if they need to protect a prison - they have cells to put them into. 

“Whereas now, they have now over 100 bunk beds; that means you have a small single cell, they take out a single bed and they put in a bunk bed.”

A prisoner in his cell. Picture by: Alamy.com

In some cells, prisoners are even sleeping on mattresses left on the floor for them. 

“I’ve seen the mattresses,” Mr O’Keefe said. 

“They don’t give any support and they’re very thin.”

Despite this, there have been some improvements made to the prison system over the last number of years; Mr O’Keefe said slopping out - where prisoners have to dispose of their own human waste - is now “more or less gone”. 

In the Programme for Government, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have promised to, “Construct a new prison at Thornton Hall, expand existing prison capacity by 1,500 spaces and consider the need for a new Women’s Open Prison.”

They have also promised to hire additional staff to work in the prison system. 

Main image: Handcuffs. Picture by: Alamy.com