'Record' half a billion euro in Budget for overcrowded jails in Laois and elsewhere

Running prisons in Portlaoise and other parts of the country will cost €525 million in public money under the Budget for 2025, according to the Department of Justice.

The figure was revealed on Budget day as the Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee announced a record €3.61 billion for current expenditure and €310 million for capital investment in the Justice sector.

A statement from her Department said record funding of €525m has been secured to increase prison capacity and tackle overcrowding. It said this is an increase of €79m or 18%.

Figures published on Budget day by the Irish Prison Service show that there were 4,987 locked up on October 1 which is 10% above the capacity of Irish jails. Portlaoise Prison and the Midlands Prison were also operating above capacity. There 938 in the Midlands Prison and 236 in the high-security Portlaoise Prison. 

It was also claimed that funding would allow the recruitment of 150 prison officers in addition to the 240 officers recruited in 2024.

The budget also includes an additional €6.2 million to fund 130,000 additional staff hours in prisons run by the Irish Prison Service such as Portlaoise Prison and Midlands Prison.

The Department said a further €53m in capital funding will provide for the completion of 155 new prison spaces by the end of 2024 as part of a programme of works. 

Plans exist for a new 100-cell “F Wing” in the Midlands prison would also have the potential to accommodate up to 180 prisoners. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

Pictured: The Midlands Prison in Portlaoise was 7% over its capacity for inmates on Budget Day.

The Department also says the Probation Service will receive an additional €4 million bringing the total budget to over €60m to expand crime diversion programmes, support step-down facilities, restorative justice, and community-based alternatives to imprisonment.

Minister McEntee spoke about the importance of addressing pressures within the prison system.

"It is essential that we increase overall capacity within the Irish Prison Service and continue to boost the number of staff. The allocation of €53m in capital funding in 2025 will help us deliver over 1,100 new prison spaces in the coming years. The pressures on our prisons are acute and that is why I am delighted that additional funding of €4 million has been secured for the Probation Service who will offer cost-effective alternatives to prison, by also facilitating increased community return, as well as reducing delays and adjournments across the criminal courts,” she said.

Gross expenditure budgets for the seven areas that fall under the remit of the Department of Justice total €3.9 billion and are broken down as follows: Gardaí €2.48 billion, Prisons €525 million, Courts Vote €196 million, Justice Vote €661 million, Data Protection Commission Vote €29 million and Policing Authority Vote €4.8 million, Fiosrú Vote €21.1m.