McEntee promises spaces for Midlands Prison as overcrowding leaves staff in "unworkable environment"

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has announced additional prison spaces in Midlands Prison after the Prison Officers’ Association (POA) announced the surge in prisoner numbers to a record high is “unsafe and unacceptable”.

In a statement at the Prison Officers Association annual delegate conference in Sligo this week, it was revealed that over 1,000 additional prisoners in the system since 2019, meaning there are now over 4,900 prisoners nationally. The POA has said that space for prisoners has not risen accordingly however, with an alarmingly low capacity increase of 43 spaces.

Minister McEntee announced today that by the end of 2026, there will be a total of 670 new prison spaces to address the lack of capacity, with 180 new spaces to be installed in the Midlands Prison.

According to the Inspector of Prisons, Midlands prison in Portlaoise has a capacity 870, but holds roughly 1,004 prisoners in custody, well over 100 above capacity.

Power voiced his concerns for the prison at the conference, saying "I’ve little doubt that our members will be landed with the responsibility for over 1000 prisoners at the Midlands in the coming weeks, and somehow everyone in management, including the Minister and Director General seem to think we can just put them somewhere and get on with it”

Power continued, saying that “today the number of prisoners in custody is about to reach a staggering 5000. That is an incredible 25% increase on the figure of 5 years ago. And needless to say, there has not been a commensurate increase in prison spaces to deal with this explosion in numbers”.

Power lashed out at the State, saying it was very clear that "our attempts to highlight this issue continually fall on deaf ears, and despite the promises on real extra spaces made here year on year by successive Ministers – nothing happens – nothing. And this is a disgrace, let’s just call it what it is”.

In February 2022, the bed capacity of the Irish prison service was 4471, with 4182 in custody. In March of this year, the 2022 capacity had increased a small amount to 4514, while the number in custody had increased by 763 inmates.

Tony Power described the situation at the conference, saying it was as “unsafe as it is unacceptable – and the Minister of the day must take full responsibility.

"In an overcrowded system, without adequate access to services, management are hindering our good work and impacting directly on the potential rehabilitation of prisoners. And they are directly contributing to an unsafe and unworkable environment”.

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has today addressed the concerns of the Prison Officers Association, rolling out €49.5 million additional capital funding secured for the next two years.

The funding included to progress 4 new projects in Midlands, Castlerea, Cloverhill and Mountjoy prisons, which will create up the 670 new spaces promised by Minister McEntee to Irish prisons.

Addressing the concerns of overcrowding, Minister McEntee said she wants our prisons "to provide a safe, secure and progressive environment for the officers who serve in them, and for those who live in them."

“We are in a situation where population growth, increased Gardaí, and longer sentences for serious crime will continue increasing the pressures on prisons.

"I intend to provide for the immediate and long-term needs of the Prison Service and so I am establishing a new review group to make recommendations on other future prison developments, including looking at Thornton Hall.

"This is about not only providing the extra places that will be needed, it is about ensuring there is both the space and the facilities to work with offenders so that when they leave custody, they are less likely to reoffend.”