Bernard J. Durkan
Ceist:343 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the current prison population; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24495/99]
Written Answers. - Prison Accommodation.
Bernard J. Durkan
Ceist:344 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of prison places available; the number occupied; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24497/99]
Bernard J. Durkan
Ceist:345 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the circumstances, if any, in which more than one prisoner per cell is allowed or occurs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24498/99]
Bernard J. Durkan
Ceist:346 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of prisoners serving sentences for criminal offences and other offences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24499/99]
Bernard J. Durkan
Ceist:348 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of prisoners imprisoned in each prison; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24501/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 343 to 346, inclusive, and 348 together.
There were 2,782 prisoners in custody in Irish prisons on Friday, 19 November 1999. The number of prisoners detained in each institution on that date together with the bed capacity of each institution is outlined in the following table
|
Institution |
Bed Capacity |
Number in Custody |
|
Mountjoy (male) |
670 |
741 |
|
Mountjoy (female)* |
60 |
50 |
|
St. Patrick's Institution |
172 |
188 |
|
Cork |
270 |
261 |
|
Limerick (male) |
200 |
209 |
|
Limerick (female) |
12 |
16 |
|
Castlerea |
182 |
193 |
|
Cloverhill** |
400 |
15 |
|
Wheatfield |
368 |
367 |
|
Portlaoise |
231 |
145 |
|
Arbour Hill |
138 |
139 |
|
Fort Mitchel |
102 |
103 |
|
Training Unit |
96 |
87 |
|
Curragh |
94 |
93 |
|
Loughan House |
85 |
77 |
|
Shanganagh Castle |
60 |
53 |
|
Shelton Abbey |
58 |
45 |
|
Total |
3,198 |
2,782 |
*The new female prison at Mountjoy, which will be operational shortly, will have a bed capacity of 80. This will free up 60 spaces which will revert to St. Patrick's Institution .
**The first batch of work party prisoners moved in to Cloverhill last Wednesday. The population of the prison will be increased on a phased basis.
It is policy to have single cell occupancy for sentenced prisoners. However, the rise in committals in recent years has necessitated multiple occupancy of single cells in some of the closed prisons, particularly Mountjoy, Cork, St. Patrick's, Limerick and the Curragh.
Prisoners frequently actually seek to double-up to avoid being lonely. They do so especially if they are in prison for the first time. Prisoners often ask to share a cell with a friend or relative in custody and such requests are facilitated where possible. Doubling up may also occur from time to time if there is a concern about the physical-mental health of a prisoner.
The total number serving a sentence on Friday, 19 November was 3,061. This is made up of 2,782 in custody and 279 on temporary release. Statistics are maintained in a manual format and consequently, the time required to collate the information sought by the Deputy in relation to whether these sentences are for criminal offences or not cannot be justified. However, this type of information should be readily available once the new prisoners record database which is part of a £6 million IT system currently being devised is introduced and becomes fully operational in the entire prison system.