In 2024, the Irish Prison Service experienced a 9.6% increase in committals, with 8,704 individuals entering custody, a 10.7% increase in the number of persons committed compared to the previous year. This growing prisoner population, coupled with an 11.9% increase in the annual cost per prison space, required targeted interventions to strengthen capacity, maintain service delivery, and uphold our mission to rehabilitate prisoners for safer communities.

Enhancing rehabilitation and prisoner support remained central to our mission. Education participation rates saw continued engagement, with an average of 58.5% of prisoners participating in educational programmes by year-end. Additionally, work training initiatives expanded, offering 1,486 placements across the prison estate, introducing new vocational training in manufacturing technology, vehicle recycling, and nearly zero-energy building retrofitting, critical skills to support employment post release and reduce recidivism.

Mental health and addiction support continued to evolve, responding to increased referrals for psychological services, with over 9,720 individual and group sessions conducted in prisons. A new National Clinical Lead for Mental Health and Addiction was appointed to oversee enhanced intervention strategies, including harm reduction efforts, overdose response measures, and expanded addiction counselling services.