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Prison Service

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 October 2023

Tuesday, 10 October 2023

Questions (368)

Patrick Costello

Question:

368. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice the number of prisoners, per year, by institution, from 2010 to date; and the number of probation officers by institution for the corresponding period, in tabular form. [43924/23]

View answer

Written answers

The Probation Service is an executive agency of the Department of Justice with the primary purpose of assessment and management of offenders in the community and is committed to working to reduce offending, create safer communities and fewer victims through rehabilitation. The Service has a presence in every prison nationwide, working as part of multi-disciplinary teams supporting reintegration. Probation staff conduct assessments and undertake offence-focused, pre-release and reintegration work with people who will be subject to court-mandated supervision orders upon their release from custody.

In addition to the Probation Officers listed in the table below, there is also one Assistant Principal Probation Officer, seven Senior Probation Officers and five administrative staff allocated to the prisons – thirteen staff in total as of 1 October 2023.

As of 1 October 2023, there are four Probation Officer vacancies across the prison region: one in Mountjoy Male, two in Wheatfield/Cloverhill and one in the Midlands.

Table 1 provides the number of committals by institution for the period in question, it should be noted an individual can be committed on more than one occasion.

Table 2 provides the daily average prison population by institution for the period in question.

Table 3 provides the number of Probation Officers (Full Time Equivalents) Prison & Risk Resettlement at end of Each Year 2010 to 30th September 2023.

Table 1 - Committals by institution for the period 2010 to 2023

Year 2023

Year 2022

Year 2021

Year 2020

Year 2019

Year 2018

Year 2017

Castlerea

507

670

594

626

786

788

930

Cloverhill

2,275

2,645

2,298

2,541

3,267

3,144

2,808

Cork

725

829

808

873

1,053

952

1,179

Limerick (Female)

139

185

159

191

242

256

360

Limerick (Male)

515

596

549

679

827

750

906

Midlands

352

432

367

454

740

543

721

Mountjoy (Female)

591

622

417

458

932

749

984

Mountjoy (Male)

864

1,045

909

494

1,067

865

1,328

Portlaoise

5

12

17

14

16

16

26

St. Patricks

-

-

-

-

-

-

36

Wheatfield

3

7

15

10

9

8

9

Total

5,976

7,043

6,133

6,340

8,939

8,071

9,287

Year 2023 (up to and including 30 September)

Year 2016

Year 2015

Year 2014

Year 2013

Year 2012

Year 2011

Year 2010

Castlerea

1,471

1,547

1,705

1,462

1,514

1,580

1,600

Cloverhill

2,604

2,640

2,629

2,652

3,123

3,556

3,967

Cork

2,148

2,788

2,654

2,787

2,798

2,600

2,445

Limerick (Female)

1,175

1,486

1,315

1,152

959

730

629

Limerick (Male)

1,770

1,911

1,732

1,703

1,681

1,797

1,710

Midlands

1,756

1,815

1,398

1,017

1,101

1,046

777

Mountjoy (Female)

1,762

1,925

1,776

1,575

1,601

1,508

1,392

Mountjoy (Male)

2,218

2,724

2,284

1,583

2,158

2,394

2,948

Portlaoise

29

31

24

37

27

22

37

St. Patricks

134

238

317

442

633

849

815

Wheatfield

32

101

321

1,325

1,431

1,236

859

Total

15,099

17,206

16,155

15,735

17,026

17,318

17,179

Table 2 - Daily Average number of prisoners by institution for the period 2010 to 2023

Year 2023

Year 2022

Year 2021

Year 2020

Year 2019

Year 2018

Year 2017

Arbour Hill

136

131

125

130

135

136

133

Castlerea

365

320

286

297

306

300

292

Cloverhill

476

424

369

362

400

402

356

Cork

299

262

255

271

291

288

272

Limerick (Female)

50

34

28

28

36

33

28

Limerick (Male)

314

208

195

206

215

214

211

Loughan House

119

106

95

105

106

110

109

Midlands

921

861

802

814

840

823

818

Mountjoy (Female)

159

139

116

120

134

132

116

Mountjoy (Male)

755

718

691

667

684

679

563

Portlaoise

231

217

211

225

232

227

221

Shelton Abbey

100

94

96

93

102

97

98

*St. Patricks

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

**Training Unit

96

53

-

-

-

-

25

Wheatfield

573

555

523

505

490

452

438

Total

4,594

4,122

3,792

3,823

3,971

3,893

3,680

Year 2016

Year 2015

Year 2014

Year 2013

Year 2012

Year 2011

Year 2010

Arbour Hill

134

138

141

141

146

151

153

Castlerea

293

308

338

354

361

364

378

Cloverhill

382

359

413

402

429

433

465

Cork

253

218

226

231

259

295

303

Limerick (Female)

31

24

27

29

28

31

26

Limerick (Male)

221

224

223

225

261

301

307

Loughan House

116

116

119

124

104

122

134

Midlands

814

805

823

762

616

586

542

Mountjoy (Female)

109

107

123

127

124

129

131

Mountjoy (Male)

515

537

556

537

603

616

667

Portlaoise

198

218

246

262

278

270

263

Shelton Abbey

101

101

102

104

102

102

99

*St. Patricks

1

3

11

129

204

204

214

**Training Unit

90

92

89

105

116

115

113

Wheatfield

460

472

478

626

687

671

495

Total

3,718

3,722

3,915

4,158

4,318

4,390

4,290

*St Patricks Institution closed down on 07th April 2017

**The Training Unit temporally closed down on 12th May 2017 and re-opened on 18th July 2022.

Table 3 - Number of Probation Officers (Full Time Equivalents) Prison & Risk Resettlement at end of Each Year 2010 to 30th September 2023

Year

Mountjoy Male & Training Unit

Mountjoy Female

Wheatfield Cloverhill

Arbour Hill & Shelton Abbey

Castlerea Loughan HarristownKazelain

Cork Limerick

Midlands & Portlaoise

Total

2010

6

4.5

6

3

2.8

4

4

30.3

2011

5

4

4

3

2

2

5

25

Year

Mountjoy Male

Mountjoy Female (Dochas) & Shelton Abbey

Wheatfield Cloverhill

Arbour Hill & Sex Offender Programme*

Castlerea Loughan

Cork Limerick

Midlands & Portlaoise

Total

2012

6

6.8

5.1

4.5

2

2.5

4.8

31.7

2013

6

4.8

5

5.5

2.6

2

4.8

30.7

2014

7

4.8

7

3.5

2.6

2

5.2

32.1

2015

7

4.8

7.4

3.5

3.6

2

7.2

35.3

2016

5

4.8

4.6

3.5

2.6

2

5.2

27.7

2017

5.8

5.8

7.8

4.5

2

2

6.2

34.1

2018

3.8

4

3.8

1.5

2

2

5.2

22.3

Mountjoy Male

Mountjoy Female (Dochas) & Shelton Abbey

Wheatfield Cloverhill

Arbour Hill

Castlerea Loughan

Cork Limerick

Midlands & Portlaoise

Total

2019

3.8

4

2.8

2.5

1

3

6.2

23.3

2020

4.8

4

2.8

2.5

2

3

6.2

25.3

2021

3.8

4

3.8

1.5

3

3

5.2

24.3

2022

3.6

4

3

2

3

3.5

5.2

24.3

2023 (End Sept)

3.6

4

3

3

3

4

6.2

26.8

*The Sex Offender Treatment Programme moved to the Midlands prison and continued to be led by prison psychology staff with input from Midlands Probation team from 2018 onwards.

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