Brian Stanley: Portlaoise Prison at Breaking Point
Brian Stanley questioned the Taoiseach in the Dáil about severe overcrowding at the Midlands Prison, Portlaoise, warning it operates at over 120% capacity and is producing unsafe conditions for staff and vulnerable prisoners. He pressed for a timetable on the programme for government pledge of 1,500 additional prison places and demanded clarity on when those places will be delivered.
Brian Stanley detailed the scale of overcrowding: a facility with capacity for 890 inmates now holds just over 1,100. He cited prisoners sleeping on bunks and mattresses on the floor, two people in cells with a toilet and no privacy, and a rise in violence with 11 assaults on staff last year, 102 prisoner-to-prisoner assaults and 60 weapons seized.
The Taoiseach acknowledged the capacity challenge and pointed to significant work on rehabilitation and youth justice programmes aimed at reducing custodial sentences. The Minister is pursuing a dual approach: increasing prison capacity while expanding non-custodial sanctions, and the Irish Prison Service is working to curb gang activity and influence inside prisons.
Stanley warned that the current conditions make the job of prison staff increasingly difficult and unsafe, describing the situation in Portlaoise as a pressure cooker. He insisted the government set out when the promised additional places will be delivered to ease overcrowding and protect both staff and vulnerable prisoners.
Current conditions and incidents
Brian Stanley detailed the scale of overcrowding: a facility with capacity for 890 inmates now holds just over 1,100. He cited prisoners sleeping on bunks and mattresses on the floor, two people in cells with a toilet and no privacy, and a rise in violence with 11 assaults on staff last year, 102 prisoner-to-prisoner assaults and 60 weapons seized.
Government response and policy context
The Taoiseach acknowledged the capacity challenge and pointed to significant work on rehabilitation and youth justice programmes aimed at reducing custodial sentences. The Minister is pursuing a dual approach: increasing prison capacity while expanding non-custodial sanctions, and the Irish Prison Service is working to curb gang activity and influence inside prisons.
Consequences for staff and communities
Stanley warned that the current conditions make the job of prison staff increasingly difficult and unsafe, describing the situation in Portlaoise as a pressure cooker. He insisted the government set out when the promised additional places will be delivered to ease overcrowding and protect both staff and vulnerable prisoners.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
Other speeches
Tego samego dnia All speeches from this day →
Richard Boyd Barrett
Richard Boyd Barrett: Government Betrays Pensioners on May Day
Michael Collins
Michael Collins demands end to CPOs for greenways
Mairéad Farrell
Mairéad Farrell: Outraged over Galway's Housing Crisis
Gerard P. Craughwell
Gerard P. Craughwell: Men Must Speak Out on Domestic Violence
Paul Murphy
Paul Murphy: Outrageous Council Rent Hikes
Albert Dolan
Albert Dolan: Clarify Ireland's AI Bill Now
Transcript
The reason why the situation in our prisons are overcrowded prisons is that we're reaching a crisis point. I have complaints from prison staff going back over the last year or two on this issue. The situation in the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise is like a pressure cooker. It's unsafe for staff and it's unsafe for vulnerable prisoners. It's vastly overcrowded, operating at 120% capacity plus. It has capacity for 890 inmates but stands at just over 1100. Prisoners are sleeping on bunks and mattresses on the floor. Two prisoners in a cell with a toilet, no privacy. This is leading to assaults on staff. There was 11 assaults on staff last year. 102 prisoner-to-prisoner assaults, 60 weapons seized. Assaults are up 23%. The job of staff, what they tell me, is being made impossible and managing the situation is very difficult. There's a promise in the programme for government for 1,500 additional places. When will we see those? Taoiseach will respond now, Deputy Stanley. When will we see progress on those two issues? Thank you. Thank you Deputy for raising what is a very important issue and I know you have a particular focus on Portlaoise as well in your constituency. We do have a challenge with overcrowding in our prisons. There is very significant work going on and good work going on in the areas of rehabilitation and youth justice programmes aimed at keeping people out of prison. But the fact remains that some crimes must attract a prison sentence and some criminals need to go to jail. But we are in the government and the Minister acutely aware of the capacity constraints in our prisons and the resulting challenge faced by those who work and live in our prisons. The Minister is pursuing a dual approach to address the issue of capacity by increasing prison spaces and then pursuing further measures to support non-custodial sanctions. And the Irish Prison Service is committed to preventing identified members of criminal gangs from conducting criminal activities while in custody and also to prevent them exerting inappropriate influence on other persons.