Laois prison officers to use pepper spray in Portlaoise jails

Prison officers at jails in Laois could soon be able to deploy pepper spray to subdue inmates under plans being devised by the  Minister for Justice.

Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan announced plans to facilitate the deployment of incapacitant spray at jails in Portlaoise and elsewhere when he addressed the Prison Officers’ Association (POA) Conference in Galway.

It has also emerged that Gardaí will be working more closely with the Irish Prison Service in an attempt to tackle the problem of contraband getting to criminals in the Midlands Prison, Portlaoise Prison and other Irish jails. 

A statement to the Leinster Express / Laois Live said Minister O’Callaghan acknowledged the challenges facing prison officers and highlighted the steps he and the Government are taking to address them.

Thanking the POA for their collaboration and commitment to high standards, Minister O’Callaghan committed to “taking necessary steps to help [prison officers] succeed in this incredibly rewarding career.”

The Minister spoke about important upcoming legislation – the Criminal Law and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions Bill) 2025 - which his Department said will help to ensure prison officer safety and introduce a range of improvements across prison operations:

“I am pleased to tell you that [a] proposal which I intend to bring forward as part of the Miscellaneous Provisions Bill shortly to Cabinet for approval is to amend the law so that prison officers can use incapacitant spray in incidents where their safety is at risk,” he said.

He also spoke about the overcrowding challenges facing the Irish Prison Service and admitted more needs to be done.

“While the prison estate is currently expanding, I know it is not expanding at the rate that is urgently needed.

“Since 2022, capacity has been increased by more than 300 new spaces with 139 delivered in the last 12 months alone and more than 90 to be added this year.

“Budget 2025 increased funding to €525 million to tackle overcrowding and increase capacity. This year, the Irish Prison Service capital budget is €53 million, also focused on providing additional prison spaces,” he said.

He said the Bill that will provide for pepper spray also addresses capacity.

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“This Bill includes a range of measures that will bring welcome changes across a range of areas, improving operational capacity in our prisons and bolstering sentencing options to reduce reliance on custodial sentences.

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“This includes a number of proposed amendments to the Community Service Act 1983 to encourage greater use of community service orders for those deemed appropriate,” he said.

The Minister said the Bill proposes doubling the amount of hours service that a judge may order, as well as enabling the Courts to consider community service in lieu of a sentence of up to 24 months, rather than the current 12 months. Where a court elects not to impose a community safety order in eligible cases, the Minister said it is proposed that it will be obliged to give reasons for this.

Keeping contraband out of prison was also a key focus of the Minister’s address to the POA and its membership, and the Minister spoke about collaborative efforts between the Irish Prison Service and An Garda Síochána.

“The Irish Prison Service continues to work closely with An Garda Síochána on initiatives including Operation Throwover, which has had a lot of success in its goal to disrupt, interdict and prosecute attempts to introduce contraband into prisons.

“Earlier this week, I was pleased to witness the signing of a formal Memorandum of Understanding between the Director General of the IPS Caron McCaffrey and the Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris. This MOU will enable both agencies to collaborate more effectively across a range of areas including prison security, intelligence gathering, evidence preservation and data sharing. This collaboration will significantly help to prevent contraband entering prisons,” he said.

Minister O’Callaghan ended his speech by thanking the POA for the "critical role" they play in the justice system, and committed to continuing to work closely with them to improve Irish prisons for both prisoners and prison officers.

“At every turn, the work we are doing is informed, supported and improved by representative groups like the Prison Officers Association and the invaluable perspective of our prison officers.’’

“I will continue to listen and work with you to make our criminal justice system safer, fairer, and more effective in keeping Ireland a safe place,” said the Minister.