IPS Quarterly census on restricted regime prisoners, cell occupancy and in-cell sanitation

31st October 2013

Second Census of Restricted Regime Prisoners October 2013

The Irish Prison Service has published its second quarterly census of the use of restricted regimes. In addition the IPS has published a census of cell occupancy and in-cell sanitation.

The October restricted regime census, conducted on October 1st, shows a marked reduction in the use of restricted regimes to punish prisoners for violations of the 2007 Prison Rules. There was a reduction of  76 prisoners or 22.4% from 339 (in the July census) to 263.

The bulk of this number was made up of prisoners who were under a restricted regime for protection reasons, of their own request (213).

Despite the improvements since last July there was still a large number of prisoners on 22 or 23-hour lock-up (135), with much room for improvement in this area.

Census of Prison Cell Occupancy and In-cell Sanitation, October 2013.

The second October census, on cell occupancy and in-cell sanitation, revealed that there are 3093 usable cells in Irish prisons. 1799 were in single-cells, 1011 held two or three prisoners and 30 held four or more.

In terms of sanitation, 504 prisoners (12.3%) were required to slop out. A larger number of prisoners, 1606 (39.3%), were required to use the toilet in the presence of another prisoner, but more positively 1976 prisoners were in a single cell with a flush toilet or had access to toilet facilities in private at all times.

Positive developments include the IPS's anticipation that the numbers slopping out will continue to fall to around 300 prisoners, with some of the improvement due to the refurbishment of Mountjoy Prison D Wing this month.

The census highlights that developments in the IPS's capital expenditure, announced in the April 2012 IPS 40-month Capital Plan, should eliminate slopping-out in Limerick and Cork prisons too.

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Irish Prison Service, Second Census of Restricted Regime Prisoners October, 2013

Irish Prison Service, Census of Prison Cell Occupancy and In-cell Sanitation, October 2013.