On Friday 18 June 1999, there were 2,840 persons in custody in Irish prisons and places of detention with a total of 2,941 serving staff, of which 2,344 are at prison officer grade. In addition vocational educational committees employ approximately 172 whole time equivalent teachers for work in prisons and places of detention.
The issue of staffing strength will be kept under review in the light of the work of the dedicated staffing and operational review team which is carrying out a staffing assessment of each institution at present, and in the light of developments in regard to prisoner accommodation.