Mayo TD says that Ireland’s prison system is overcrowded

Aontú TD Paul Lawless has warned that Ireland’s prison system is “a ticking time bomb for public safety,” citing figures that reveal a grotesque mismatch between capacity and reality.

The Mayo Deputy said:

“On December 10 last, the Irish Prison Service reported 5,797 prisoners in custody against a bed capacity of 4,702 – an occupancy rate of 124%. In plain English, we are cramming prisoners into cells like commuters on a rush hour train — only this journey has no destination and no relief.”

“Our prisons are operating far beyond safe capacity. This raises grave concerns about safety, rehabilitation, and human rights. Indeed, one wonders how the Government can speak of rehabilitation when prisons resemble factories running at double capacity — but churning out problems faster than they can be solved.”

“The Minister confirmed that the average annual cost of an available, staffed prison space in 2024 was €99,072 – or €8,256 per month. Taxpayers are footing nearly €100,000 per prisoner per year. To put it bluntly, we are paying champagne prices for tap-water results. At a time when frontline services are starved of resources, this level of expenditure demands urgent scrutiny.

“The Government has announced €527 million to deliver 1,500 new prison spaces. “Impressive on paper, yes – the largest-ever prison building programme, they say. “But this is a long-term promise to a short-term crisis. It is akin to promising umbrellas for next year’s rain while citizens are drenched today.”

Deputy Lawless acknowledged plans to expand community sanctions and structured temporary release schemes, calling them “positive steps.” Yet he stressed they must be accelerated. “Alternatives to incarceration are not luxuries; they are necessities. “Other nations have embraced community-based sanctions with demonstrably better outcomes. Ireland, meanwhile, hesitates.

“Overcrowding at 124%, costs of €99,000 per prisoner, and delays in implementing alternatives show a system under severe strain.”

Lawless concluded. “The Government must act decisively – not merely with ostentatious building projects, but with immediate reforms that protect the public, reduce reoffending, and deliver value for money.

“The facts are stark: overcrowded prisons, spiralling costs, and a Government content to stroll blindly past disaster. If this is their idea of justice, I fear to imagine their idea of chaos.”