Prisoners receive 10% increase in pocket money
Prisoners had a 10% rise in pocket money last year, with over €2.8m given to inmates for discretionary items such as cigarettes and sweets.
Every inmate receives a ‘daily gratuity’ from the Irish Prison Service (IPS), which can be used to buy non-essential goods such as computer games, confectionary, and tobacco.
Last year, the amount given to criminals rose €268,867 to €2,864,885, a rise of more than 10%. Prior to 2012, all inmates were entitled to a flat-rate gratuity of €2.35 per day. An incentivised regime was then introduced, allowing pocket money to be raised or reduced depending on a prisoner’s behaviour.
A standard daily rate of €1.70 now applies but this can be increased to an enhanced rate of €2.20 if a prisoner is compliant, or cut to a basic rate of 95c if a prisoner misbehaves.
The proportion of inmates on the punitive basic rate increased from 9% to 11%. However, the number of prisoners on the enhanced rate also climbed from 46% to 48%.
About 41% of prisoners were on the standard rate last year, against 45% in 2017. Inmates can earn an additional €3.50 per week in pocket money by doing chores such as painting, cleaning, cooking, grounds maintenance, laundry, and waste management.
The cash can be spent on discretionary items such as toiletries and tobacco from the tuck shop, as well as paying for television rental or other services offered by the IPS. It can also be saved until a prisoner is released. Detainees can also apply for interest-free loans from the IPS, and repay the borrowings with daily gratuities. A total of €500,000 was loaned to prisoners between 2014 and 2016.
Last year, the highest amount of pocket money was paid out by Midlands Prison in Portlaoise, which houses notorious killers Graham Dwyer and Mark Nash. It gave €604,742 to its inmates, compared to €570,470 in 2017. The amount paid to inmates in this prison rose 26% last year, climbing to almost €500,000 in 2018 from €396,328 during the previous year.
The IPS said the incentivised regime policy introduced in 2012 had provided for a “differentiation of privileges” between prisoners based on their level of engagement and quality of behaviour. The objective is to provide tangible incentives to prisoners, the IPS added.
