Speech by Minister O'Callaghan at Recruit Prison Officer Ceremony in Croke Park

Good evening everyone. Thank you Caron, department officials, academic staff, and colleagues from the Irish Prison Service. I am very pleased to join you here this evening.

I want to congratulate 159 new Recruit Prison Officers who have completed their training and are now ready to take up their roles across the prison estate.

Tonight is all about you, and your family, friends and colleagues who have helped you get here.

This evening marks a significant achievement for each of you and acknowledges two years of effort, determination, and resilience.

For your families and friends who have supported you over the past two years, this is a time celebrate with them. Their encouragement has carried many of you to this day and I’m sure that they will remain a bedrock of strength as you step into your roles.

So, let’s begin the night with a round of applause for the new recruit prison officers and your families and friends.

This programme is more than a qualification. It’s a commitment to safety, to rehabilitation, and to the future of our prison system.

Being a prison officer is not easy - but it is incredibly important.

You are the frontline of a system that makes our communities safer, not just through providing secure custody. But by providing the care and rehabilitation that those in custody need to be able to make the right choices when they are released.

During your two-year training programme with the IPS and Southeast Technological University, you have gained the knowledge and skills to conduct your work in a professional and meaningful way.

Your time in our prisons will have taught you about showing patience, compassion, and strength under challenging circumstances.

You will also be positive role models for those in your custodial care.

As you work within our prisons - the wider community rarely gets to see first-hand the vital job you will be doing.

They won’t appreciate the scope and impact of your work.

Or see you teach and support, direct and discipline, and lead and inspire every day.

But rest assured that this work has a lasting impact and positive influence on the people you engage with and on our communities and society in general.

Across the justice system and government, we acknowledge your contribution and we are immensely grateful for it.

As I said earlier, you are the future of our prison system.

We’re committed to helping you thrive in a system that’s fit for purpose and fit for a 21st century Ireland.

We will continue to invest in you and in the system to ensure that you feel safe and supported in your jobs and that you can work to the very best of your abilities.

We’ve seen a significant increase in recruitment which is very encouraging.

Last year, 304 officers joined the service through eight training classes. This year, the Irish Prison Service has a recruitment target of 250 more officers.

I want you to know that we’re investing in our staff and our facilities.

As part of a total investment of €528 million from 2026 to 2030:

€495 million is being invested in building projects to further increase capacity including new accommodation in Castlerea, Midlands, Wheatfield, Mountjoy, Cloverhill, and the Dóchas Centre.

I am acutely aware that overcrowding in our prisons is a very real problem.

I have seen it firsthand during my onsite visits in some. But we’re not standing still.

We’re taking a dual approach: expanding prison capacity and increasing the use of non-custodial sentences.

Legislative changes are under way to increase the maximum community service hours to 480 and to require the judiciary to consider community service as an alternative for sentences of two years or less.

We’re also making sure that prison officers are safe. The maximum prison sentence for assaulting or threatening a prison officer has been increased from 7 to 12 years and all staff have access to the Employee Assistance Programme.

I’m also very aware that many of those who interact with the criminal justice system have severe mental health and addiction issues, which add to the challenges that you face.

We are developing new and additional mental health and addiction supports offered to prisoners.

The Irish Prison Service is working closely with the HSE to provide comprehensive care. This includes assessments, treatment, and support from external agencies.

We’ve also appointed a National Clinical Lead for Mental Health and Addiction to coordinate Irish Prison Service Drug Strategy and Task Force recommendations.

Of course, for people to believe in the administration of justice, there must be consequences for criminal behaviour. While this will always be the case, we must also create opportunities for rehabilitation.

Our prisons – thanks to the hard work and commitment of those who work in them – provide learning and for skills and talents to be developed.

Our prisons provide a range of adult-education supports and services, including work training.

There is the Retrofit Skills Course in Midlands and Wheatfield Prisons which I understand are hugely popular. Pop-up restaurants in Cork and in the Dochas, prisoners are given opportunities to take part in practical courses such as beauty and hairdressing.

It’s these kinds of activities that give prisoners the chance to develop the skills and see the possibilities for decent, meaningful employment after release. You enable this to happen.

You are not just authority figures for those in prison, but role models, mentors and teachers.

The role of a prison officer is complex. It requires the ability to direct others, support others, and be conscientious, resilient, and adaptable.

You will face difficult situations, and stress. You will bear a lot of responsibility.

But you have chosen this path because you believe in it and the value it brings to society and our communities.

We see your work, and we see the hours you put in. We see the care you demonstrate.

The government will continue to support and invest in you. We will invest in our prisons and we will invest in the tools and resources you need to do your job efficiently, safely and with dignity.

Tonight we celebrate your achievement in getting here through strength and patience.

You will have the chance to shape lives, to help people find a path away from crime, and to build a better future for all of us.

As Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration I am proud of the work you have done and the work that lies ahead. Thank you for your public service.

Enjoy this evening and I wish you the very best in your careers.

Comhghairdeas agus go raibh míle maith agaibh.