Castlerea Prison to get an extra 150 spaces as part of overhaul plan

Castlerea Prison will receive an extra 150 spaces and Midlands Prison will get an extra 180 as part of plans to boost capacity. Senior Ministers are considering plans to add an extra 960 prison spaces over the next five years. It’s in a bid to tackle overcrowding with an 11 per cent rise in prisoners over the past year.

The Old Cork Prison will be demolished and rebuilt under the plans creating 230 male and 100 female spaces. In Dublin, Wheatfield will get 100 extra spaces, Mountjoy Prison will get 150, while the Dochas Centre will get an extra 50 female spaces.