The great escape
More than 40 convicts flee from Irish prisons over 4-year period
FORTY-THREE prisoners, including lags serving time for kidnapping, threats to murder and homicide offences, have escaped or absconded from jail over the past four years.
But of all those who made a run for it, 41 have been returned to custody and only two remain unaccounted for.
The Irish Prison Service said between 2018 and 2021, eight prisoners had escaped from closed jails, or while they were on a prison escort, appearing in court, or during a hospital or medical appointment.
All eight of them have been recaptured however and were returned to jail to serve the rest of their sentence.
Another 35 prisoners absconded from the country’s two low-security “open” prisons, Loughan House in Co Cavan and Shelton Abbey in Co Wicklow.
That included 14 during last year alone, according to figures released by
the Irish Prison Service under FOI. Of the 35 that skipped out on their sentences from the open jails, 33 of them have been returned to custody and two still remain at large.
The figures also reveal that of the 43 criminals that have escaped from prison over the past four years, all of them were male except for a single female.
Last year showed the highest number of prisoners escaping or absconding of the past four years when 14 men failed to return to their open prison.
The Irish Prison Service said two of these were serving sentences for attempts or threats to murder, assault, or harassment, while three had been convicted of robbery, extortion, or hijacking offences. There were four prisoners who absconded from jail while doing time for burglary and related offences, two more for theft offences, and two with drug convictions.
A spokesman for the Prison Service said gardai were informed when a prisoner becomes unlawfully at large.
He added: “It is important to highlight the majority of prisoners who breach temporary release is for a ‘technical breach’ and all prisoners granted temporary release are assessed on a case-by-case basis.”