Prison system ‘at breaking point’ with urgent action needed to tackle overcrowding
2nd December 2025
The article outlines the worsening overcrowding crisis across Ireland’s prisons, as highlighted in IPRT’s latest Progress in the Penal System (PIPS) report. Executive Director Saoirse Brady stresses that expanding prison spaces will not resolve the crisis.
The system is now operating at 123% capacity, with almost 600 people sleeping on mattresses beside toilets, rising violence, and a record number of deaths in custody — conditions described by oversight bodies as degrading and inhumane. Overcrowding is also undermining progress in key areas such as time out of cell, safety, and humane treatment.
IPRT calls for urgent Government-led action, including expanded use of community sanctions, alternative pathways for people with mental health or addiction issues, publication of long-delayed inspection reports, and implementation of recommendations from the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture. The organisation stresses that real progress requires a system-wide approach beyond simply increasing prison capacity.
