Seventeen individuals sentenced in Waterford courts out on temporary release
Temporary releases have been used as a means to curb chronic overcrowding in Irish prisons
At least 17 individuals sentenced in Waterford courts have left prison on temporary release, according to figures from the Irish Prison Service obtained by Waterford News & Star through the Freedom of Information Act.
As of January 5, 2026, there were 507 individuals in Ireland on temporary release; 17 individuals’ most serious offences resulted in convictions from Waterford District or Circuit Court.
Offence descriptions for the 17 individuals were not listed by the Irish Prison Service for fear of identification.
Irish prisons have faced chronic overcrowding issues, with the state projected to jail 6,000 prisoners in the coming year. The prison system currently only has capacity for 4,700.
The temporary, or early release of prisoners, has been used to temper overcrowding.
The policy has drawn criticism from figures like MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchu who highlighted that 45 prisoners convicted under attempts/threats to murder, assaults, harassment and other offences were on temporary release as of June 2025.
A report published by the Irish Prison Service showed 213 individuals were sleeping on mattresses across Irish prisons by the end of 2024.
The Chief Inspector of Prisons Mark Kelly said overcrowding was one of the key factors in a record 31 deaths recorded across Irish prisons in 2024.
Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan has attempted to further ease prison overcrowding issues with the Government-supported Courts and Civil Law Act 2025.
The bill amends the law to oblige the courts to consider a community service order in lieu of a prison sentence of up to 24 months - the current threshold is 12 months.
