Just 14% of jailors can manage mentally-ill

A total of 5,909 people are currently held in custody in a prison estate with a maximum bed capacity of just 4,736, according to the Inspector of Prisons annual report 2025.

More than 10% of the entire prison population have no bed, the report states.

Chief Inspector Mark Kelly (small picture) who is an international human rights lawyer, noted that the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) staged a sudden return visit to Ireland just four months after publishing a highly critical report from its 2024 inspection.

The Inspector of Prisons is a statutory officer appointed by the Minister for Justice under the Prisons Act 2007.

While the OIP recorded a 55% drop in custody deaths during 2025 (falling to 14 from a record-high 31 in 2024), eight prisoners died in custody in the first three months of 2026 alone.

Survey data indicates that 63% of prisoners do not feel safe making a complaint, and the OIP warns about that the ongoing absence of a robust tracking mechanism for serious incidents.

Ireland remains the sole European Union member state that has failed to ratify the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention Against Torture (OPCAT) and designate the OIP as an independent National Preventive Mechanism (NPM).

Infringements of inspectorate autonomy

The OIP complained of infringements of its autonomy during an inspection of older prisoners at the Midlands Prison and Dóchas Centre late last year.

Inspectors were reviewing older inmates suffering from "accelerated aging" where prisoners in their 50s exhibit the physical health complications of individuals ten years older in the community.

However, an unannounced inspection of Limerick Men's Prison was completed in early 2026 under "relatively unencumbered conditions,” the report states.

At Castlerea Prison, dental services are restricted to just one day per month with expected delays of 12 to 18 months for prisoners.

One in six external hospital appointments in the first half of 2025 were cancelled because staff were unavailable for transport escorts, the report adds.

Inspectors discovered a critical "paucity of information" regarding violent histories, meaning incoming inmates are routinely cross-allocated without assessing if they pose a threat to others or are walking into danger themselves.

Active discrimination

Data compiled from anonymous electronic surveys of 454 prisoners and 267 staff showed 61% of all inmates alleged experiencing active discrimination while incarcerated.

And 79% of minority prisoners – Irish Travellers, Roma, Black, and Asians – reported experiencing discrimination, compared to 46% of White Irish inmates.

• 63% of prisoners explicitly stated they do not feel safe making an official complaint,
• 42% of prison staff reported feeling unsafe or uncomfortable expressing work-related grievances to management.

Additionally, only 14% of staff felt adequately trained to handle inmates with severe mental health issues, and just 23% were satisfied with their basic CPR and first aid training.

A follow-up inspection of Mountjoy Prison revealed that the inmate population went from 750 in 2022 to 986 by mid-2025.

The number of men sleeping on floor mattresses went from 35 to 90.

While refurbished units provided clean, modern housing, conditions on standard protection landings (A and B divisions) were branded as dismal.

Inspectors observed cells with broken windows, torn linoleum, mould, leaking toilets, poor ventilation, and excessive temperatures.

At Wheatfield Prison, which operated at 110% capacity with 685 inmates, severe staff shortages triggered a "staggered unlock protocol" 57 times in a three-month window.

This protocol routinely left prisoners locked in their cells, reducing daily out-of-cell time.

Violence a critical concern

Violence emerged as a critical concern, with 95 prisoner-on-prisoner and 11 prisoner-on-staff assaults recorded in a 12-month period.

Only 29% of surveyed inmates reported feeling safe.

Acute staffing vacancies left only 24% of the population engaged in certified employment training.

Castlerea Prison operated at 119% capacity, with just nine showers serving 239 men.

Both Mountjoy and Wheatfield are staffed by just a single nurse on duty at night.

Additionally, staff redeployments to basic guard duty routinely forced the closure of prison schools and gyms, cutting off access to necessary rehabilitation the inspector’s report states.