Mountjoy Prison in Dublin has been overtaken as the State's largest penal institution by Cloverhill remand centre to the west of the city.
Mountjoy's era as the State's largest prison ended last Friday, when Cloverhill held 441 remand prisoners - there were 422 prisoners in Mountjoy. This marks a reversal of Mountjoy's accommodation crisis five years ago when it had up to 803 inmates. It will never again be the largest, in keeping with the prison service's future plans.
The change in Mountjoy's status comes as future plans for the prison service are due to be unveiled today by the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, in a strategy document marking radical change over the next four years.
The main emphasis of the strategy document, which covers 2001-2003, is on a humane prison regime combined with rehabilitation. Prison buildings are expected to be refurbished as part of this plan.
Mountjoy has closed its A wing and a number of other units have been moved to Castlerea Prison, Co Roscommon, which has accommodation for 515 inmates and currently holds 330.
Last Friday there were 3,161 people in custody in the State's penal institutions and remand centres.
However, while population figures for Mountjoy are declining, Cork and Limerick prisons are overcrowded.
On Friday, there were 268 prisoners in Cork which has capacity for 150. A prison service official pointed out that this meant a 179 per cent occupancy rate.
Limerick Prison had 163 inmates, but is intended to house only 133. This number represents a 123 per cent rate of occupancy.
D≤chas, the new women's prison beside Mountjoy, has capacity for 70 prisoners, but it had 98 prisoners last week.
An increasing problem for the prison service is young boys. In the past three months, up to eight 14-year-olds have been sent to prison because of the lack of appropriate places for them.
"We don't want to be the emergency service or the jailer of last resort for children," said one of those involved in the strategy document consultations.
A facility for 16- and 17-year-olds, for whom the service does have responsibility, is under construction next to Cork prison, but it will be a separate unit.
The prison service is currently looking at a site in Inchicore in Dublin for a similar facility for 30 juveniles but local residents are opposed to it.
A number of other possible locations are also being sought, but the Inchicore site is the most likely option.
