Cash-based shift swapping in Irish prisons is a scandal which puts lives at risk and exposes a complete failure of basic oversight, according to Social Democrats justice spokesperson Gary Gannon.
Deputy Gannon said:
“What we learned on last night’s Prime Time report was completely shocking – cash based shift-swapping in Irish prisons and an entire system that appears to be running off the books, with no records, no accountability, and no clear idea of who’s even on duty.
“It’s chaos disguised as normality, and it’s putting people in real danger.
“If you can’t tell who’s working in a prison at any given time, you’ve already lost control of the most basic safety standards imaginable – these are high-risk environments that rely on trust, training, and proper supervision.
“The reality that shifts are being traded for cash, with apparently no sign-in or verification, is absolutely indefensible.
“The practice appears to be endemic and reflects a total collapse in oversight from the Department of Justice.
“Prison officers deserve proper systems – the same secure, accountable rosters that Gardaí have. Instead, they’re being left in a system that’s informal, unsafe, and wide open to abuse.
“This goes to the heart of what kind of justice system we have, because if basic safety and accountability don’t exist inside our prisons, how can the public have any faith in the system as a whole?
“We desperately need to take a hard look at how we run our prisons, the purpose they serve, and how we can build a system based on safety, rehabilitation and accountability over secrecy and vacuums of responsibility.”
October 17th, 2025