Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 July 2026
298. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of prisoners under 21 years-of-age; the number in each institution; the number of such prisoners who are on restricted regimes; the number of hours, each day, such prisoners are confined to their cells; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53826/26]
View answerAs regards the total number of individuals in custody on 14 April 2026 (the most recent date on which the information is available in this form), who were over the age of 18 and under the age of 21, this information is provided in Table 1 below:
|
Establishment |
18 years old |
19 years old |
20 years old |
Total |
|
Castlerea Prison |
0 |
4 |
4 |
8 |
|
Cloverhill Remand Prison |
6 |
7 |
4 |
17 |
|
Cork Prison |
2 |
5 |
10 |
17 |
|
Limerick Female Prison |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
Limerick Male Prison |
3 |
7 |
4 |
14 |
|
Loughan House |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
Midlands Prison |
2 |
7 |
8 |
17 |
|
Mountjoy Female Prison |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
Mountjoy Male Prison |
2 |
2 |
13 |
17 |
|
Portlaoise Prison |
0 |
3 |
5 |
8 |
|
Shelton Abbey |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
Wheatfield Prison |
6 |
10 |
7 |
23 |
|
Grand Total |
21 |
46 |
58 |
125 |
My Department has taken steps to bring the Irish prison system into line with the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (known as ‘Mandela Rules’) in respect of the issue of solitary confinement. This has included the introduction of Statutory Instrument (SI) 276 of 2017 which amended Rule 27 of the Prison Rules 2007 and which provides a statutory entitlement to people in custody of a minimum of two hours out-of-cell time daily.
As such, all people in custody have a right to a minimum of 2 hours out of their cell with an opportunity for meaningful human contact. The Irish Prison Service Policy on the Elimination of Solitary Confinement, which is publicly available on their website, implements the requirements of this Statutory Instrument. The Prison Rules, 2007, as amended also provide that the imposition of a restricted regime shall be closely monitored by the Irish Prison Service and the status of each prisoner on restricted regime within the prison system is regularly reviewed.
Table 2 provided below outlines the total number of individuals who were over 18 years of age and under 21 years of age in prison custody who were on a controlled regime on 14 April 2026 and the number of hours recorded in-cell on that date.
|
- |
19 hrs |
20 hrs |
21 hrs |
22 hrs |
23 hrs |
24 hrs |
Total |
|
Castlerea Prison |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Cloverhill Remand Prison |
0 |
0 |
0 |
12 |
0 |
0 |
12 |
|
Cork Prison |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
|
Mountjoy Male Prison |
0 |
2 |
5 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
|
Wheatfield Prison |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
|
Grand Total |
0 |
2 |
5 |
18 |
2 |
0 |
27 |
