Irish Prison Service Annual Report 2017

25th June 2018

The Irish Prison Service (IPS) has published its Annual Report 2017. The report features statistics relating to the profile of the prison population in Ireland. 

Key figures:

• The overall daily average number of prisoners in custody in 2017 was 3,680, compared to 3,718 in 2016, which is a decrease of 1%.
• The average number of female offenders in custody in 2017 was 144, compared to 140 in 2016, which is an increase of 2.9%.
• There were 9,287 committals to prison in 2017, compared to 15,099 committals in 2016, which is a decrease of 38.5% (or 5,812 committals).
• A total of 7,484 persons accounted for the 9,287 committals. Of those, 85.5% were male and 14.5% were female.
• There were 1,344 female committals to prison in 2017, compared to 2,937 female committals in 2016, which is a decrease of 54% (or 1,593 female committals).
• Despite a decrease in the total number of female committals, there was 8% (or 30) more female committals on remand in 2017 than in 2016.
• The Fines (Payment and Recovery) Act 2014 which came into operation in January 2016 has had a direct impact on the number of committals to prison in 2016 with further reductions in 2017.
• The number of committals to prison as a consequence of the non-payment of a court-ordered fine decreased from 8,439 in 2016 to 2,261 in 2017, which is a decrease of 73%.
• The total number of persons in custody on 30^th November 2017 was 3,738, compared to 3,716 on 30 November 2016, which is an increase of 1%.

The IPS Annual Report 2017 is available here.

See more: 

• IPRT Press Release: Increasing numbers in Irish prisons undermines safety and rehabilitation
• IPS Annual Report 2016