Nearly a fifth of prisoners are now being locked up in their cells for more than 19 hours a day. A new report from the Irish Penal Reform Trust has raised concerns about the scale of overcrowding in many facilities. It says that's leading to some inmates having to sleep on mattresses on the floor of their cells. We are very concerned, around 14% of the prison population is locked up for 19 or more hours a day for reasons of protection and safety. Director General of the Irish Prisons Service, Caron McCaffrey, says they're trying to address that.

Source: Irish Examiner October 25, 2019 19:52 UTC