Prison deaths at their highest last year, as inspector says system has 'breached its capacity'

Ottoline Spearman

There were 31 deaths in prison custody in 2024, an increase of more than 50 per cent on the previous year.

This is the highest number since the Office of the Inspector of Prisons (OIP) began its investigative role in 2012. Contributing factors include overcrowding, mental health pressures, and gaps in the provision of healthcare services. The Inspectorate also identified serious deficiencies in risk assessment and complaints handling across prisons.

The Office of the Inspector of Prisons (OIP) is Ireland’s independent body responsible for inspecting prisons, investigating deaths in custody and monitoring conditions of detention.

In its Annual Report 2024 and Strategic Plan 2025-2029, published on Thursday, serious and systemic challenges across Ireland’s prisons were highlighted, including overcrowding, mental health needs, and conditions that fall short of human rights standards.

The OIP found Midlands Prison to be operating at 112 per cent capacity, with an average of 31 men sleeping on mattresses on the floors. Occupants often ate meals on the floor next to unpartitioned toilets, and only one night nurse was on duty for a population of 986 men, which was deemed a serious concern and insufficient to respond to medical emergencies.

Some prisoners on restricted regimes were offered only 30 minutes of daily yard time and 30 minutes for shower and cell cleaning. Many declined the yard time, meaning they could spend 23.5 hours daily in their cells, which significantly impacted their mental health.

These are clear symptoms of a prison system that has breached its capacity. No comparable jurisdiction has ever succeeded in building its way out of overcrowding, and immediate action is required, at the highest political levels, to address this ongoing crisis - Mark Kelly

Chief Inspector of Prisons, Mark Kelly, said: “Overcrowding is not only a matter of numbers, it is a root cause of worsening mental health outcomes, restricted regimes, unacceptable living conditions for prisoners, and poor working conditions for prison staff.

"Currently, Ireland’s prison population exceeds more than 5,600, of whom almost 500 are being obliged to sleep on mattresses on the floor. In Ireland, in 2025, a significant number of people in prison are being held in conditions that can only be described as inhumane and degrading.

“These are clear symptoms of a prison system that has breached its capacity. No comparable jurisdiction has ever succeeded in building its way out of overcrowding, and immediate action is required, at the highest political levels, to address this ongoing crisis”.

Ardville Prison was operating at 98 per cent capacity, with overcrowding at Cloverhill Prison deteriorating since the previous inspection. At Cloverhill, prison officers had placed tape and a card over the cell alarm system to mute calls on various landings, which the OIP said is a serious safety concern.

The prison also accommodated men with serious mental illness who should be diverted to appropriate therapeutic settings, as well as immigration detainees, whom the OIP believes should not be held in prison.

Limerick Women's Prison was operating at 144 per cent capacity due to severe overcrowding, despite being newly designed, which undermined its intended trauma-informed ethos.

66 per cent of women surveyed reported that a lack of adequate support for mental health was the biggest issue, and 87 per cent disagreed that the prison was equipped to support people with mental health issues.

The reports outline what a functioning system should look like: all prisons and places of detention should provide humane conditions that meet international standards, better access to mental health care, effective complaints handling, and accurate recording of serious incidents.

As the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture has recently stressed, findings such as these highlight “the importance of Ireland ratifying the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT) and establishing a fully resourced National Preventive Mechanism (NPM). This step is crucial to ensure continued oversight and improvement of conditions within the prison estate.”