Does Ireland need more prison cells or fewer prisoners?
Last November, after Josef Puska was sentenced to life for the murder of Aisling Murphy, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced that the State needed more spaces in prisons.
“If people want dangerous people locked up for a long time, we’re going to need more room in our prisons,” the Taoiseach said. Minister for Justice Helen McEntee later confirmed plans for 600 additional spaces across four prison estates.
But, not everyone agrees that building more prison cells is the answer.
The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) has repeatedly called for a reduction in the number of people being jailed, noting…
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