Éamon Ó Cuív
Question:1066. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Justice the total number of occasions on which prisoners slept on mattresses, by prison during Q4 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12995/23]
View answerTuesday, 21 March 2023
Questions (1066)
Written answers
As the Deputy will be aware, the Irish Prison Service must accept all people committed by the Courts. As such the Irish Prison Service has no control over the numbers committed to custody at any given time, and the prison system is, of course, subject to peaks and troughs.
Where the number of people in custody exceeds the maximum capacity in any prison, Irish Prison Service officials make every effort to deal with this through a combination of inter-prison transfers and structured temporary release. Decisions in relation to temporary release are considered on a case by case basis and the safety of the public is paramount when those decisions are made.
I can further advise the Deputy that my Department has been working closely with the Director General of the Irish Prison Service to ensure a safe working environment for staff and the safety and security of those in our custody and we are taking a number of short and medium term steps to address the issue of increasing prison numbers.
As the Deputy will also be aware, the Government has provided significant capital funding to the Irish Prison Service in order to enhance the existing prison infrastructure. The commissioning of a new male and female prison accommodation in Limerick Prison will provide an additional 90 male spaces and 22 additional female cell spaces. This new male accommodation is now partially open and the female accommodation is expected to become operational soon.
The Programme for Government 2020 contains a broad range of policies and proposals that represent a coherent approach to enhancing and sustaining a more just and safe society, with a specific commitment to review policy options for prison and penal reform. In respect of delivering on this commitment, the Government recently approved the Review of Policy Options for Prison and Penal Reform 2022-2024.
This review seeks to find the balance between ensuring that people who commit serious crimes receive a punishment and a period of incarceration proportionate to that crime, while at the same time acknowledging that sometimes community based sanctions are more appropriate in diverting offenders away from future criminal activity.
In addition to delivering the recommendations of the Review of Policy Options for Prison and Penal Reform, the need to ensure the continued availability of modern prison facilities with adequate capacity will continue to be central to the work of the Irish Prison Service and will be core to the development of the new Irish Prison Service Capital Plan.
The information requested by the Deputy in respect of the number of people in custody sleeping on mattresses on the floor during quarter four of 2022 is contained in the tables below.
|
Number of prisoners sleeping on mattresses on the floor October 2022 |
|||||
|
DATE |
Castlerea |
Cloverhill |
Limerick Male |
Limerick Female |
Mountjoy Male |
|
1st |
0 |
35 |
8 |
2 |
0 |
|
2nd |
0 |
37 |
6 |
2 |
0 |
|
3rd |
0 |
36 |
6 |
2 |
0 |
|
4th |
0 |
40 |
8 |
3 |
0 |
|
5th |
0 |
35 |
7 |
2 |
0 |
|
6th |
0 |
27 |
6 |
2 |
5 |
|
7th |
0 |
31 |
2 |
0 |
7 |
|
8th |
0 |
36 |
5 |
2 |
4 |
|
9th |
0 |
36 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
|
10th |
0 |
37 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
|
11th |
0 |
35 |
2 |
2 |
9 |
|
12th |
0 |
29 |
3 |
3 |
22 |
|
13th |
0 |
25 |
3 |
3 |
21 |
|
14th |
0 |
29 |
4 |
4 |
25 |
|
15th |
0 |
25 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
|
16th |
2 |
24 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
|
17th |
7 |
27 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
|
18th |
9 |
34 |
3 |
5 |
7 |
|
19th |
9 |
29 |
3 |
5 |
15 |
|
20th |
8 |
28 |
4 |
3 |
15 |
|
21st |
6 |
29 |
4 |
1 |
15 |
|
22nd |
7 |
29 |
0 |
0 |
13 |
|
23rd |
7 |
31 |
2 |
1 |
13 |
|
24th |
10 |
27 |
2 |
1 |
13 |
|
25th |
11 |
35 |
1 |
1 |
13 |
|
26th |
12 |
37 |
1 |
2 |
11 |
|
27th |
11 |
26 |
0 |
7 |
14 |
|
28th |
10 |
23 |
0 |
7 |
13 |
|
29th |
5 |
18 |
0 |
7 |
13 |
|
30th |
5 |
18 |
0 |
7 |
13 |
|
31st |
10 |
19 |
0 |
5 |
13 |
*The following prisons had no instances of prisoners sleeping on mattresses on the floor in October
Arbour Hill, Cork, Dochas Centre, Midlands, Portlaoise, Shelton Abbey, Loughan House and Wheatfield Prison.
|
Number of prisoners sleeping on mattresses on the floor November 2022 |
||||||
|
DATE |
Castlerea |
Cloverhill |
Cork |
Limerick Male |
Limerick Female |
Mountjoy Male |
|
1st |
12 |
15 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
12 |
|
2nd |
13 |
23 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
14 |
|
3rd |
12 |
18 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
17 |
|
4th |
17 |
22 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
20 |
|
5th |
15 |
18 |
0 |
4 |
3 |
26 |
|
6th |
23 |
19 |
0 |
8 |
5 |
25 |
|
7th |
20 |
26 |
0 |
8 |
5 |
24 |
|
8th |
16 |
22 |
0 |
6 |
4 |
47 |
|
9th |
6 |
24 |
0 |
9 |
4 |
48 |
|
10th |
9 |
17 |
0 |
6 |
6 |
40 |
|
11th |
4 |
20 |
0 |
5 |
6 |
37 |
|
12th |
5 |
28 |
0 |
4 |
4 |
37 |
|
13th |
5 |
26 |
0 |
4 |
4 |
35 |
|
14th |
5 |
23 |
0 |
3 |
4 |
38 |
|
15th |
6 |
26 |
0 |
9 |
7 |
34 |
|
16th |
4 |
24 |
0 |
8 |
6 |
36 |
|
17th |
6 |
21 |
0 |
8 |
16 |
38 |
|
18th |
7 |
13 |
0 |
15 |
8 |
47 |
|
19th |
10 |
12 |
0 |
13 |
7 |
47 |
|
20th |
10 |
16 |
0 |
12 |
7 |
44 |
|
21st |
10 |
16 |
0 |
14 |
7 |
33 |
|
22nd |
8 |
19 |
1 |
21 |
8 |
42 |
|
23rd |
9 |
11 |
1 |
21 |
9 |
42 |
|
24th |
7 |
14 |
7 |
23 |
10 |
40 |
|
25th |
8 |
14 |
9 |
26 |
14 |
38 |
|
26th |
6 |
16 |
9 |
22 |
15 |
36 |
|
27th |
6 |
16 |
9 |
18 |
16 |
38 |
|
28th |
8 |
16 |
7 |
19 |
15 |
35 |
|
29th |
7 |
15 |
6 |
20 |
9 |
39 |
|
30th |
9 |
17 |
4 |
18 |
12 |
37 |
**The following prisons had no instances of prisoners sleeping on mattresses on the floor in November
Arbour Hill, Dochas Centre, Midlands, Portlaoise, Shelton Abbey, Loughan House and Wheatfield Prison.
|
Number of prisoners sleeping on mattresses on the floor December 2022 |
|||||||
|
DATE |
Castlerea |
Cloverhill |
Cork |
Dóchas |
Limerick Male |
Limerick Female |
Mountjoy Male |
|
1st |
7 |
24 |
7 |
0 |
18 |
10 |
38 |
|
2nd |
11 |
18 |
7 |
0 |
19 |
9 |
35 |
|
3rd |
12 |
15 |
6 |
3 |
21 |
8 |
37 |
|
4th |
15 |
15 |
5 |
1 |
21 |
8 |
38 |
|
5th |
19 |
19 |
4 |
0 |
22 |
10 |
38 |
|
6th |
17 |
18 |
1 |
0 |
21 |
10 |
33 |
|
7th |
18 |
19 |
1 |
0 |
23 |
10 |
35 |
|
8th |
13 |
15 |
0 |
0 |
22 |
9 |
35 |
|
9th |
18 |
17 |
0 |
1 |
22 |
11 |
34 |
|
10th |
12 |
22 |
1 |
0 |
26 |
9 |
33 |
|
11th |
12 |
29 |
1 |
0 |
27 |
10 |
32 |
|
12th |
12 |
39 |
0 |
0 |
29 |
11 |
31 |
|
13th |
11 |
39 |
0 |
0 |
26 |
10 |
27 |
|
14th |
11 |
24 |
0 |
0 |
22 |
10 |
27 |
|
15th |
13 |
22 |
0 |
0 |
24 |
10 |
27 |
|
16th |
14 |
19 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
9 |
26 |
|
17th |
12 |
16 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
10 |
25 |
|
18th |
14 |
15 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
10 |
25 |
|
19th |
13 |
11 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
10 |
24 |
|
20th |
12 |
16 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
9 |
22 |
|
21st |
9 |
10 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
11 |
21 |
|
22nd |
11 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
10 |
19 |
|
23rd |
11 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
11 |
19 |
|
24th |
8 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
11 |
19 |
|
25th |
10 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
12 |
19 |
|
26th |
10 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
12 |
19 |
|
27th |
11 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
10 |
19 |
|
28th |
12 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
10 |
18 |
|
29th |
12 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
11 |
20 |
|
30th |
12 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
12 |
19 |
|
31st |
11 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
12 |
19 |
***The following prisons had no instances of prisoners sleeping on mattresses on the floor in December
Arbour Hill, Dochas Centre, Midlands, Portlaoise, Shelton Abbey, Loughan House and Wheatfield Prison.