Posted by July 27th 2024
This article is behind the pay wall. Watchers.ie highlights crimes and guilty people that deserve prison sentences and if our cells are overcrowded, then one must ask if we have insufficient space to operate a functioning prison system in the Republic of Ireland. We do not want more riots due to law and order breaking down.
According to Conor Gallagher, Prison numbers have increased by 26% in the past five years, forcing authorities frantically to try to find ways to alleviate overcrowding.
“There has been a large increase in prisoners serving times for sexual offences, including rape, sexual assault and possession of child pornography. In 2014, there were 350 such inmates. Today the category has almost doubled to 706″.
“Prison numbers are at record level, having breached the 5,000 mark for the first time last month. As of this week, there are 5,055 prisoners across the country’s fourteen facilities, bringing the system to 112% capacity. Overall prison numbers have increased by 26% in just the past five years.”
Sex offences, assault and fraud.Prisoners convicted for sex crimes are particularly problematic when it comes to overcrowding, as they must be held separately to other prisoners and cannot be easily moved around the system to create space.”
For more details including graphs – Access The Irish Times 27th July to read this detailed and interesting article by Conor Gallagher. Above are several quotes from same.
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What can we learn from the UK?
Too many with mental illness are in prison.
Link Sky news
England and Wales’s prisons are suffering from overcrowding, with staff and other prisoners being assaulted and safety ratings plunging.
Political reporter @alixculbertson
Thursday 25 July 2024 16:20, UK
HMP Wandsworth. File pic: PA
“There was a 2% increase in the prison population this year, with 87,726 people in prison on 30 June 2024.”
That was about 4,700 higher than pre-pandemic levels.
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