A former Justice Minister has said the Government needs to build a new prison.
Overcrowding has become an issue in Irish prisons, and 164 prisoners are currently sleeping on mattresses.
Interim Justice Minister Simon Harris said yesterday plans are in place for four capital projects.
Those projects would deliver 400 new beds by 2028.
Senator Michael McDowell says prison capacity here hasn't kept up with population growth:
"The Irish state has not kept up to par with what has been happening in our population in terms of overall numbers. You know, it's gone up in recent years from three 3.8 or 3.9 to 5.1 million. In addition, there's been changes in sentencing policy, and we haven't been building the appropriate level of prisoner accommodation".
