Irish Prison Service Annual Report 2013

6th March 2014

The Irish Prison Service published their annual report today.

This report includes details such as the number of people committed into the prison system, number of overall committals handed down, statistics on the length of sentences, number’s committed for non-payment of fines and costs of detention per prisoner for the year 2013.

Changes welcomed by IRPT:

• Joint strategy of the Irish Prison Service and the Probation Service in a move towards alternatives to prison.
• Overall 7.6% decrease in the number of committals from 2012 total. 2012: (13,860); 2013: (13,055). This is the first significant decrease since 2007.
• The decrease in numbers on a restricted Lock-up regimes to at least 3 hours out of cell time a day. 
• In addition, the number of prisoners on 22/23 hour lock up decreased by 161 or almost 76% from 211 to 50 during the year.

Areas of concern highlighted in the report:

• 142% increase in female committals since 2006
• 12.3% increase in female committals for fine/debt default since 2012.
• Although there has been a reduction in this area, it is of huge concern that 500 prisoners still have to endure “slopping out” due to lack of basic toilet facilities.
• The standards of St. Patrick's Institution have been deemed in gross violation of basic human rights and inappropriate for the rehabilitative reinstating of children into society, however, there are eight 17 year old's being held on remand in St. Patrick’s Institution today (March 6th 2014). 

The Prison Service Annual Report 2013 can be downloaded in full here

Read more:

Department of Justice Press Release