There are 12 institutions in the Irish Prison Service (IPS), comprising 10 traditional ‘closed’ institutions, and 2 open centres that operate with minimal internal and perimeter security. The majority of female prisoners are accommodated in the purpose-built Dóchas Centre adjacent to Mountjoy Prison in Dublin and the remainder are located in a separate part of Limerick Prison. The average number in custody in 2021 was 3,792 compared to 3,824 in 2020, a decrease of 0.8%. The average number of females in custody was 144, a 2.7% decrease on 2020 and the average number of males was 3,648, a decrease of 0.8% on the previous year’s figure. The IPS estimates that approximately 70% of people come into prison with an addiction or substance abuse problem. In 2020, there were 325 committals (311 male and 14 female) to Irish prisons for controlled drug offences.

Political responsibility for the prison system in Ireland is vested in the Minister for Justice. The IPS operates as an executive agency within the Department of Justice and is headed by a Director General supported by five directors. The provision of prison healthcare is based on a set of policy documents drawn up by various stakeholders.

There was a total of 1,518 drug seizures in prisons in 2021, compared to 1,251 seizures 2020. The IPS recognises that improvements are required in this area. Additional security measures aimed at further enhancing the security of prisons include the introduction of a free confidential telephone line, which is now operational. 

The prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among prisoners in Ireland remains poorly understood. A cross-sectional study in Mountjoy Prison, Dublin found that of those tested, 92 (22.8%) were HCV antibody-positive. Of those antibody-positive, 53 (57.6%) tested positive for HCV RNA (ribonucleic acid); 23 (25.0%) had spontaneous clearance; 16 (17.4%) had a sustained viral response (SVR); 10 (11.0%) were co-infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV); and 6 (6.0%) with hepatitis B virus (HBV). The untreated chronic HCV seroprevalence estimate was 13.1% and the seroprevalence of HCV among prisoners with a history of injecting drug use (IDU) was 79.7%.