More than 500 prisoners have had to sleep on the floor of cells in the Midlands Prison Portlaoise over the the last three months.
The figures were released by the Department of Justice show that November 2018 was the worst month, with 260 people without a bed.
Meanwhile in January of this year, there was only a third of that figure on the ground.
Speaking to Midlands 103, Fíona Ní Chinnéide, Acting Executive Director of the Irish Penal Trust, says it needs to change.
She said: “We are very concerned with the numbers sleeping on the floor at the Midlands Prison which accommodates a higher number of older prisoners.”
Episode two of Virgin Media’s documentary on the Midlands Prison Portlaoise will air tonight.
Inside Ireland’s Biggest Prison: True Lives generated a huge reaction online last week.
For just over a year, film-makers gained unprecedented access behind the walls for the four-part series gains inside the country’s largest prison.
Ahead of that, LaoisToday was given exclusive no-holds-bared access to the prison itself.
SEE ALSO – Tullamore and Portlaoise Hospital waiting times ‘unacceptable’
