Overcrowding continues at Portlaoise Prison where Daniel Kinahan is being held
Overcrowding continues at Portlaoise Prison as 11 on mattresses on the floor
While there is much focus on an alleged crime boss who arrived at Portlaoise Prison on Sunday night, overcrowding remans an serious issue at the prison where 11 inmates sleeping on the floor.
Daniel Kinahan(49) was extradited from Dubai to Ireland on Sunday. He appeared before the Special Criminal Court where he was charged with directing organised crime.
He was then brought to Portlaoise Prison under armed guard where he will be held before he faces trial. He is being held in isolation with his own cell.
Portlaoise Prison, like the Midlands Prison next door, has operated above bed capacity all year. The overcrowding has led to concerns for the welfare of inmates and prison staff who work in prisons.
In April, Sinn Fein spokesperson on Justice, Matt Carthy said: “As the Prison Officers Association has pointed out at their annual conference today, the overcrowding crisis is making prisons more dangerous both for those who work there and those who are incarcerated in our prisons.
“Prison officers have highlighted the fact that violence, intimidation, weapons and drug smuggling are all increasing because of overcrowding. It is very concerning that violent incidents increased by 37.5% between 2024 and 2025.”
According to Irish Prison Service(IPS) figures, there were 11 prisoners on mattresses on the floor in Portlaoise Prison on August 10 as the bed capacity at the prison was at 120%. The prison has a bed capacity of 227 but there were 272 inmates held there, with 11 on mattresses.
The figure is an improvement on last week on August 3 when the prison was operating at 126% capacity and on July 1 when it was operating at 133%. On February 11, the prison was operating at 138% bed capacity with 36 prisoners sleeping on mattresses.
In July, the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) said urgent government action is long overdue as the Inspector of Prisons’ 2025 report exposes worsening inhuman and degrading conditions.
They made the comments after the Office of the Inspector of Prisons Annual Report for 2025 was published.
It described the unacceptable conditions faced by people in custody in Ireland as a “national disgrace”.
Chronic overcrowding continues to worsen year on year, placing severe pressure on prison regimes, safety, dignity, and basic living conditions for people in prison, the IPRT stated.