THE GOVERNMENT HAS secured funding to provide space for up to 670 additional prisoners.

Under the National Development Plan for justice projects, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has secured an additional capital funding of €93 million. 

The funding was approved by Cabinet last week and will be used across the justice sector.

Of the €93 million funding allocation, €49.5 million is being allocated to the Irish Prison Service between this year and 2026 to further increase prison capacity and address current capacity constraints in the prison estate.

Preparatory work is to commence this year on four projects in Cloverhill, Castlerea, Midlands and Mountjoy prisons, with construction expected to start on a phased basis between 2025 and 2027.

When completed, space for up to 670 prisoners will be created.

The Department of Justice said the Irish Prison Service is also currently advancing a number of short term projects which separately have the potential to provide an additional 95 spaces in 2024.

The Journal reported last November of claims that the Irish Prison Service is using temporary release services to relieve continued overcrowding in the prison system.

As of yesterday, there were more than 5,600 people registered in the Irish prison system, even though the system only has capacity for just over 4,500 people.

The figure accounts for all people currently registered in the Irish prison system, including prisoners in custody, on any form of temporary release, those receiving treatment in hospital or those in the Central Mental Hospital.

One source told The Journal in November that the Irish Prison Service is using these services to release inmates back into communities under supervision in a bid to tackle overcrowding.

This is achieved through a system known as ‘Temporary Release’, which is provided to prisoners who are released from custody for a specific time and reason based on their behaviour while in in custody.

In a statement today, Minister McEntee said today’s announcement of additional funding ensure there is a “plan to grow the size of our prison estate for the first time in a decade”.

“We will ensure that we have a prison estate big enough to hold those who cause damage and misery in our communities,” McEntee said.

“It is important that we continue to review and plan for additional capacity, which may be needed given increasing populations, and the introduction of some higher maximum prison sentences, including for assault causing harm and conspiracy to murder, which will have impacts on the amount of time people spend in prison,” she said. 

With reporting by Muiris O’Cearbhaill