Shelton Abbey, the only open prison in the east of the country, will not be expanded further under the government’s current capital programme. The Irish Prison Service will instead direct resources toward overcrowded closed prisons in other locations. The Justice Minister said the service operates under acute capacity constraints and must accept all committals from the courts, limiting control over the growing prison population. Since 2024, 232 new spaces have been added, with 65 more planned for the current year. A larger capital investment of €528 million between 2026 and 2030 will focus mainly on closed prisons, including six major fast-tracked projects adding 960 spaces and funding for planning and early works for a new prison at Thornton Hall.
"Shelton Abbey, the State's only open prison in the east of the country, will not receive any further development under the government's current capital programme, despite a record national investment in prison infrastructure. The confirmation, delivered in response to a parliamentary question from Wicklow Wexford TD Malcolm Byrne, effectively freezes the Arklow facility at its current size, while the Irish Prison Service (IPS) focuses its resources on overcrowded closed prisons elsewhere."
"Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan said the IPS is operating under "acute capacity constraints" and must accept all committals from the courts, leaving the service with no control over the rising prison population. Since 2024, 232 new spaces have been added across the estate, with another 65 due this year. But these incremental additions are dwarfed by the scale of the capital programme now underway, a programme that largely bypasses Wicklow."
"Following the 2025 National Development Plan review, the minister secured €67.9 million in capital funding for 2026, part of a €528 million investment between 2026 and 2030. Of that, €495 million is earmarked for major building projects aimed at expanding capacity in closed prisons. Six major projects, totalling 960 new spaces, have been fast‑tracked by skipping early approval stages, shaving up to 18 months off delivery timelines."
"Those projects include a major extension at Cork Prison, a new block at Wheatfield, an additional block at Midlands Prison, and new accommodation at Castlerea, Mountjoy and the Dóchas Centre. Planning and early works for a new prison at Thornton Hall in north Dublin are also being funded. The minister pointed to the 2025 completion of 10 Independent Living Units (ILUs) at Shelton Abbey as evidence of recent investment."
Read at Irish Independent
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