News at One Overcrowding, staff shortages in Irish prisons - report
Jan 16, 2026
Mark Kelly, Chief Inspector of Prisons in Ireland, and Niamh McCormack, Legal and Public Affairs Manager at the Irish Penal Reform Trust, discuss the alarming conditions in Irish prisons. Kelly reveals severe overcrowding and its impact on prisoner life, highlighting insufficient mental health care and treatment gaps. He emphasizes that long lockdowns hinder rehabilitation opportunities. Both guests advocate for alternative approaches to incarceration, warning that the current system is in crisis and urgently needs political intervention.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Dochas Lock-Back Led To De Facto Solitary Confinement
- Women in the Dochas Centre faced a lock-back regime forcing either yard time or cell time for three hours without re-entry.
- Niamh McCormack warns this led some women to spend up to 22 hours a day in cells, amounting to solitary confinement.
Overcrowding Undermines Prison Regimes
- Overcrowding touches almost every aspect of prison life and hinders delivery of decent regimes.
- Mark Kelly says the system has breached capacity and requires urgent political action.
Mattress Count Reveals Scale Of Crisis
- Hundreds of people sleep on mattresses across a few prisons, illustrating the scale of overcrowding.
- Mark Kelly cites 364 people on mattresses in four prisons on one night as evidence.