The Oireachtas justice committee will be told that overcrowding is an 'affront to human dignity'. Photograph: Enda O'DowdChronic overcrowding in the Republic’s prison system led to more than 600 inmates being obliged to sleep on mattresses earlier this month. The State has 4,718 prison spaces, but on January 7th, 5,761 people were incarcerated, leaving 613 prisoners without a bed. [ Complaints from Mountjoy Prison Opens in new window ]It follows a scathing annual report by the OIP published in November, which set out such overcrowded conditions. In his opening remarks to the committee, chief inspector of prisons Mark Kelly will say the situation is “inhuman and degrading, unworthy of Ireland in 2026″.

Source: The Irish Times January 13, 2026 06:25 UTC