Photograph: Sam Boal/Collins PhotosA detention centre specifically for people facing deportation may be considered, after it emerged the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) is leaving detainees at overcrowded prisons without prior consultation. He highlighted prison overcrowding at Mountjoy women’s prison, the Dóchas Centre, which was operating at 153 per cent capacity last week. Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan confirmed there were 223 women in custody in Mountjoy at the time, 29 of whom were on mattresses. Expressing concern at the overcrowding, the Minister said there are plans to build another 65 spaces across the prison system in 2026, 26 of which will be new spaces for the Dóchas Centre. Asking if it was “time to be more radical”, Gannon called for a “full exploration of the prison system” and suggested a citizens’ assembly on prisons and incarceration.

Source: The Irish Times March 29, 2026 09:32 UTC