‘Worsening’ prison overcrowding is reducing rehabilitation opportunities, campaigners say

Almost 600 individuals were forced to sleep on mattresses on the floor of Irish prisons in 2025 with overcrowding presenting “significant challenges”, the Irish Prison Service’s (IPS) annual report 2025 has found.The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) expressed “deep concern” at the data, and questioned the State’s “ongoing reliance” on imprisonment for short sentences and remand as well as the continued rise in prison costs. By the end of 2025 the prison population reached 5,753, up 15 per cent on 2024. Of those, 596 individuals were forced to sleep on mattresses on the floor, an increase of 180 per cent on 2024.The report said overcrowding remained a “substantial barrier to effective rehabilitation”, adding that the prison system is “operating above its designed capacity”.READ MORE[ Prison overcrowding is a growing crisisOpens in new window ]It said addressing overcrowding “remains a key priority”.In 2025, 187 additional prisoner spaces were delivered and 65 spaces are planned for 2026.The report also showed that the average annual cost of a staffed prison space has risen to €103,334, a 4.3 per cent increase on 2024. However, the IPRT said that despite “only a modest” increase in committals, an increase of 1.1 per cent from 8,704 in 2024 to 8,798 in 2025, the prison system was now operating “well above its designed capacity, with overcrowding worsening and rehabilitation opportunities diminishing”.The IPRT said the continued use of prison for short sentences of 12 months or less, which accounted for 74 per cent of all sentenced committals, highlighted “the urgent need for a decisive shift towards evidence‑based, community‑based alternatives”. It executive director, Saoirse Brady, said the report painted a picture of a system under sustained and mounting pressure.She said alternatives such as bail supports, supervised temporary release schemes and community sanctions must be prioritised.“We cannot build our way out of this crisis,” she said. “Overcrowding is undermining rehabilitation, safety and dignity. Some people continue to sleep on mattresses on the floor, a clear breach of basic human rights.“Overcrowding makes meaningful rehabilitation almost impossible,” she said, adding that only 26 per cent of people in custody engaged in work or training in 2025. Brady said the situation in the Dóchas Centre was particularly concerning – originally designed for 85 women, it now regularly holds 180 or more. “A fundamental rebalancing of investment is urgently needed to make our criminal justice system more effective, more humane and more sustainable,” said Brady.