Prisons in Ireland - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Historically, Ireland has enjoyed an extremely low rate of imprisonment. Recently, however, there has been considerable growth
in the prison population.

Authority

In 1925, shortly after the establishment of the Irish Free State

Irish Free State

The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...

, the then Minister for Justice, Kevin O'Higgins

Kevin O'Higgins

Kevin Christopher O'Higgins was an Irish politician who served as Vice-President of the Executive Council and Minister for Justice. He was part of early nationalist Sinn Féin, before going on to become a prominent member of Cumann na nGaedheal. O'Higgins initiated the An Garda Síochána police force...

, introduced legislation repealing the existing ability of grand juries to appoint visiting committees to Irish prisons. Instead, the authority to appoint the members of prison visiting committees was vested solely in the person of the Minister. Similarly, the management of the Irish prison system passed to the control of the Minister with the dissolution by statutory instrument of the General Prisons Board in 1928. Thus, by this date, both the responsibility and control over the management and oversight of the Irish Prison Service was held within the Minister's department.

This situation remained unchanged until 1999 when the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, John O'Donoghue

John O'Donoghue (politician)

John O'Donoghue is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the Kerry South constituency from 1987 to 2011. He is a former Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas. He resigned as Ceann Comhairle on 13 October 2009 due to controversy about his...

, established the Irish Prison Service

Irish Prison Service

The Irish Prison Service manages the day-to-day running of the Irish penal system. Political responsibility for Irish prisons still rests with the Minister and governmental Department for Justice and Law Reform....

to which was delegated the task of managing the day-to-day running of the prison system. Simultaneously in 1999 an Prisons Authority Interim Board was established and its members were appointed by the Minister in 2000. The purpose of this board was to advise the Director General and directors of the Irish Prison Service on the management of the penal system. In 2002 the retired High Court Judge, Demot Kileen, was appointed the state's first Inspector of Irish Prisons. However, none of these new bodies was ever established on a statutory basis despite indications to the contrary. indeed, as recently as January 2011 Dermot Ahern informed the Dáil that:
In 2009 the Irish Prison Service had an annual budget of €379.319 million and it had a staff of 3,568 people.

Prison Population Rate

The prison population in the Republic of Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

per 100,000 inhabitants is 101.

Prisons and Prison Population (Number)

There are currently 14 prisons operating in the Republic of Ireland

Republic of Ireland

with a total bed capacity of 4,106 as of the 31 December 2009. The daily average number of prisoners in custody in 2009 was 3,881. However, most of these prisons currently operate at or above capacity. On the 25 January 2011 the prison population stood at 4,541.

Sentencing

In the year 2009 there were 15,425 committals to Irish prisons which is an increase of 13.8% on 2008 when the equivalent figure was 13,557. 12,339 individuals accounted for all the committals in 2009. 10,865 committals to Irish prisons in 2009 followed sentencing.

Cost of Prison Placement

The average cost to incarcerate a person in a prison in 2009 was €77,222. This was a decrease of 16.7% on the 2008 figure when the cost of incarceration was €92,717 on average.

Active Prisons

Irish Prisons: Operational Capacity and Daily Average Number of Prisoners in Custody 2009
Prison	Location	Year Opened	Type	Security	Age Range	Special Features	Servicing Area of	Male Capacity	Female Capacity	Daily Average Number (Male)	Daily Average Number (Female)
Mountjoy Prison Mountjoy Prison Mountjoy Prison , founded as Mountjoy Gaol, nicknamed The Joy, is a medium security prison located in Phibsboro in the centre of Dublin, Ireland. It has the largest prison population in Ireland.The current prison governor is Mr...	Dublin 7	1850	Closed	Medium	17+	None	Dublin City	590	0	632	0
Dóchas Centre Dóchas Centre The Dóchas Centre is a closed, medium security prison for females aged 18 years and over located in Mountjoy Prison in Dublin. It is also the committal prison for females committed on remand or sentenced from all Courts outside the Munster area of Ireland.Dóchas is one of two women's prisons in...	Dublin 7	1999	Closed	Medium	18+	None	National (except Munster Munster Munster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes... )	0	85	0	110
St. Patrick's Institution St. Patrick's Institution St. Patrick's Institution, North Circular Road, Dublin 7, is an Irish penal facility for 16- to 21-year-old males. It has a capacity of 217 beds and had an average inmate population of 221 in 2009. It is a closed, medium security prison.-History:...	Dublin 7	1956	Closed	Medium	16-21	None	National	217	0	221	0
Cork Prison Cork Prison Cork Prison, Rathmore Road, Cork City, County Cork is an Irish penal institution. It is a closed, medium security prison for males over 17 years of age...	Cork City	1972	Closed	Medium	17+	None	Cork Cork (city) Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban... , Kerry County Kerry Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective... , Waterford Waterford Waterford is a city in the South-East Region of Ireland. It is the oldest city in the country and fifth largest by population. Waterford City Council is the local government authority for the city and its immediate hinterland...	272	0	298	0
Limerick Prison Limerick Prison Limerick Prison, Mulgrave Street, Limerick is an Irish penal institution. It is a closed, medium security prison, It has an official capacity of 290 male beds and 20 female beds... .	Mulgrave Street, Limerick	1822	Closed	Medium	17+	None	Males: Clare County Clare -History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones... , Limerick Limerick Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the... , Tipperary Tipperary Tipperary is a town and a civil parish in South Tipperary in Ireland. Its population was 4,415 at the 2006 census. It is also an ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly, and is in the historical barony of Clanwilliam.... . Females: Munster Munster Munster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes...	290	20	298	22
Castlerea Prison Castlerea Prison Castlerea Prison is a closed, medium security facility in Castlerea, Co. Roscommon. It houses male prisoners of 17 years of age and more. It has bed capacity of 351 and in 2009 its daily average number of resident inmates was 306.-History:...	Castlerea Castlerea Castlerea is located in the west of County Roscommon, Ireland. It is the second largest town in the county with a population of 3,055 . Roughly translated from Irish, Castlerea can mean Brindled Castle or King's Castle... , Co. Roscommon Roscommon Roscommon is the county town of County Roscommon in Ireland. Its population at the 2006 census stood at 5,017 . The town is located near the junctions of the N60, N61 and N63 roads.-History:...	1996	Closed	Medium	17+	None	Connacht Connacht Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for... , Cavan Cavan Cavan is the county town of County Cavan in the Republic of Ireland. The town lies in the north central part of Ireland, near the border with Northern Ireland... , Donegal Donegal Donegal or Donegal Town is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. Its name, which was historically written in English as Dunnagall or Dunagall, translates from Irish as "stronghold of the foreigners" .... , Longford Longford Longford is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It has a population of 7,622 according to the 2006 census. Approximately one third of the county's population resides in the town. Longford town is also the biggest town in the county...	351	0	306	0
Cloverhill Prison Cloverhill Prison Cloverhill Prison is located on Cloverhill Road, Clondalkin, Dublin 22. It has a bed capacity of 431 and its average daily number of inmates resident in 2009 was 438.-History:...	Cloverhill, Dublin 22	1999	Closed	Medium	17+	None	Leinster Leinster Leinster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the east of Ireland. It comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Mide, Osraige and Leinster. Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the historic fifths of Leinster and Mide gradually merged, mainly due to the impact of the Pale, which straddled... (primarily)	431	0	438	0
Wheatfield Prison Wheatfield Prison Wheatfield Prison is closed, medium security prison located on Cloverhill Road, Clondalkin, Dublin 22. It receives male prisoners of 17 years of age and older from the counties of Louth, Meath, Monaghan, Wexford and Wicklow...	Cloverhill, Dublin 22	1989	Closed	Medium	17+	None	Louth County Louth County Louth is a county of Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Louth. Louth County Council is the local authority for the county... , Meath County Meath County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county... , Monaghan County Monaghan County Monaghan is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Monaghan. Monaghan County Council is the local authority for the county... , Wexford County Wexford County Wexford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wexford. In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnselaig, whose capital was at Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local... , Wicklow County Wicklow County Wicklow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wicklow, which derives from the Old Norse name Víkingalág or Wykynlo. Wicklow County Council is the local authority for the county...	430	0	426	0
Portlaoise Prison Portlaoise Prison Portlaoise Prison is the Republic of Ireland's only high security prison. It is located in Portlaoise, County Laois. It should not be confused with the Midlands Prison, which is a newer, medium security prison situated directly beside it....	Portlaoise Port Laoise Portlaoise or Port Laoise , historically spelled Port Laoighise or Portlaoighise, is the county town of County Laois in the midlands of Ireland. The population was 14,613.-History:... , Co. Laois	1902	Closed	High	17+	For those sentenced in the Special Criminal Court Special Criminal Court The Special Criminal Court is a juryless criminal court in the Republic of Ireland which tries terrorist and organized crime cases. Article 38 of the Constitution of Ireland empowers the Dáil to establish "special courts" with wide-ranging powers when "the ordinary courts are inadequate to secure... ; subversive crime	National	399	0	119	0
Arbour Hill Prison Arbour Hill Prison Arbour Hill Prison is a prison and military cemetery located in the Arbour Hill area near Heuston Station in the centre of Dublin, Ireland. The prison is the national centre for male sex offenders.-Architecture:...	Dublin 7	1975	Closed	Medium	17+	Sexual offenders; long term sentences	National	148	0	154	0
Training Unit Training Unit The Training Unit is semi-open, low security prison located on the grounds of the Mountjoy campus in Dublin 7. It receives prisoners eighteen years of age and over and is designed to provide industrial training to inmates prior to the release...	Dublin 7	1975	Semi-open	Low	18+	Provides industrial training prior to release	National	107	0	112	0
Midlands Prison Midlands Prison The Midlands Prison is closed, medium security prison in Portlaoise, Co. Laois. It receives prisoners who are aged 17 years and over. It has a bed capacity of 516 and its daily average number of inmates resident in 2009 was 512.-History:...	Portlaoise, Co. Laois	2000	Closed	Medium	17+	None	Carlow Carlow Carlow is the county town of County Carlow in Ireland. It is situated in the south-east of Ireland, 84 km from Dublin. County Carlow is the second smallest county in Ireland by area, however Carlow Town is the 14th largest urban area in Ireland by population according to the 2006 census. The... , Kildare Kildare -External links:*******... , Kilkenny Kilkenny Kilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland... , Laois, Offaly, Westmeath	516	0	512	0
Loughan House Loughan House Loughan House is a low security open detention centre in Blacklion, County Cavan, Ireland. Built in 1953 as a noviciate for the White Fathers Missionary Congregation, it was purchased by the Department of Justice in 1972 to be converted to a prison facility. Its current governor is Mr. Pat Kavanagh...	Co. Cavan Cavan Cavan is the county town of County Cavan in the Republic of Ireland. The town lies in the north central part of Ireland, near the border with Northern Ireland...	1973	Open	Low	18+	None	National	150	0	129	0
Shelton Abbey Shelton Abbey Prison Shelton Abbey on the north bank of the Avoca near Arklow County Wicklow, is a penal institution operated by the Irish Prison Service .- History :...	Arklow Arklow Arklow , also known as Inbhear Dé from the Avonmore river's older name Abhainn Dé, is a historic town located in County Wicklow on the east coast of Ireland. Founded by the Vikings in the ninth century, Arklow was the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the 1798 rebellion... , Co. Wicklow Wicklow Wicklow) is the county town of County Wicklow in Ireland. Located south of Dublin on the east coast of the island, it has a population of 10,070 according to the 2006 census. The town is situated to the east of the N11 route between Dublin and Wexford. Wicklow is also connected to the rail...	1973	Open	Low	19+	None	National	100	0	94	0

Detention of Children

Formerly, children in the Republic of Ireland were detained in Industrial Schools or Reformatory Schools. Currently they are detained in institutions called Children Detention Schools. These detention schools are managed by the Irish Youth Justice Service. There are four facilities for the detention of "children", defined as boys under the age of 16 and girls under the age of 18:

Finglas Child and Adolescent Centre
Oberstown Boys School
Oberstown Girls School
Trinity House School

Defunct Prisons in Ireland

Clonmel Borstal
Clonmel Borstal
.St. Patrick's Borstal Institution, Clonmel was established in 1906 as a place of detention for young male offenders aged between 16 and 21...
Geneva Barracks
Geneva Barracks
Geneva Barracks in County Waterford, Ireland, was a barracks created in 1783 by converting a settlement which had been created for an 18th century colony of disaffected citizens of Geneva. Built near Passage East, the colony was commissioned by the Irish Parliament and approved by British Royalty...
Kilmainham Gaol
Kilmainham Gaol
Kilmainham Gaol is a former prison, located in Kilmainham in Dublin, which is now a museum. It has been run since the mid-1980s by the Office of Public Works , an Irish Government agency...
Newgate Prison, Dublin
Newgate Prison, Dublin
Newgate Prison was a place of detention in Dublin until its closure in 1863. It was initially located at Cornmarket, near Christ Church Cathedral, on the south side of the Liffey, and was originally one of the city gates.-From city gate to prison:...
Richmond General Penitentiary
Richmond General Penitentiary
The Richmond General Penitentiary was a prison established in 1820 in Grangegorman, Dublin, Ireland as an alternative to transportation. It was part of an experiment into a penitentiary system which also involved Millbank Penitentiary, London...
Sligo Jail
Sligo Jail
Sligo Jail or Sligo Prison, founded as Sligo Gaol is a former prison located in Sligo, County Sligo, Ireland which was open from 1823 to 1959.-Construction:...
The Black Dog, Dublin
The Black Dog, Dublin
The Black Dog was a prison in Newhall Market, now Cornmarket, in Dublin.The Black Dog was located in Browne's Castle, which became a tavern from which the prison got its name. From the early 18th century the Black Dog functioned as the main debtors' prison in Dublin. The length of a prisoner's stay...

Statutory Basis of Irish Penal System

Children Act (2001)
Criminal Justice Act (1960)
Criminal Justice Act (1997)
Criminal Justice Act (2000)
Criminal Law Act (1997)
Detention of Offenders (Castlerea) Regulations (1998)
Detention of Offenders (Loughan House) Regulations (1973)
Detention of Offenders (Shanganagh Castle) Regulations (1970)
Detention of Offenders (Shelton Abbey) Regulations (1976)
Detention of Offenders (The Curragh) Regulations (1996)
Detention of Offenders (Training Unit) Regulations (1975)
ECHR Bill (2001)
General Provisions Board (1928)
Human Rights Commission Act (2000)
Illegal Immigrants Trafficking Act (2000)
Immigration Act (1999)
Immigration Act (2003)
Immigration Act (2004)
Medical Practitioners Act (1927)
Non-Fatal Offences Act (1997)
Ombudsman Act (1980)
Ombudsman for Children Act (2002)
Organisation of Working Time Regulations (1998)
Prison Act (1933)
Prison Act (1956)
Prison Act (1970)
Prison (Disciplinary Code for Officers) Rules (1996)
Prisoners Temporary Release Rules (1960)
Prisons Visiting Commitiees Act (1925
Prisons Visiting Committees Order (1925)
Refugee Act (1996)
Rules for the Government of Prisons (1947)
Rules for the Government of Prisons (1955)
Rules for the Government of Prisons (1976)
Rules for the Government of Prisons (1983)
Rules for the Government of Prisons (1987)
Safety Health and Welfare at Work Act (1989)
Social Welfare (Social Assistance Regulations) (1993)

External links

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