Latest / The Niall Boylan Podcast (They Told Me To Shut Up)
#865 Ireland’s Prison Crisis: Are We Locking Up the Wrong People?
In this episode, Niall Boylan speaks to journalist Laura Perrins about whether Ireland needs to fundamentally rethink who we send to prison and what prison is actually supposed to achieve.
Ireland’s prisons are under enormous pressure. On 13 August 2026, 5,619 people were in custody across the State, with 339 prisoners sleeping on mattresses on the floor. Limerick Women’s Prison was operating at approximately 161% of capacity. The overcrowding crisis has renewed calls from penal reform advocates for greater use of community service, probation and other alternatives to short custodial…
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