The Justice Minister says Cork Prison needs to be extended in order to provide increased capacity at the facility
It comes as the prison recorded its highest ever population this week with 421 inmates in custody
109 prisoners were sleeping on the floor in a facility built for 304 prisoners
Speaking to RedFM News Minister O'Callaghan says the Courts need to be availing of community sanctions as an alternative to prison
"We need to extend Cork Prison. We need to develop other elements of the estate to ensure that we can provide greater capacity within the prison system. I'm not just looking, however, at extending prison spaces, I'm also bringing forward legislation that will allow for greater use of community sanctions, and that's something I would like to see the courts availing of more"
