Prisoners jailed for not paying fines are home before Gardaí who drove them
People being sent to prison for non-payment of District Court fines are being released and making it home to Galway faster than the Gardaí who transported them there.
The Connacht Tribune has learned Castlerea Prison is so overcrowded that prisoners are being sent straight home after arriving there – with the price of a taxi or bus provided by the taxpayer.
And the situation at the men’s prison is worsening, after senior Gardaí in Galway ordered that a full ‘clear-up’ of outstanding penal warrants (for non-payment of court fines) be carried out.
In some cases, prisoners are known to have arrived back in Galway on the same day, quicker than the Gardaí who originally brought them there.
Penal warrants are presented to Gardaí by the Courts Service, and must be executed within six months (either through the payment of the fine or the person being arrested and brought to prison).
When fines are imposed in court, the Judge rules that a sentence (usually between seven and fifteen days on ‘lesser’ offences) must be served if the fine is unpaid after a specific period of time.
A source told the Connacht Tribune that many people are now opting not to pay their fines for offences such as no car tax, insurance or NCT or TV licence or minor public order offences.
“They know that when the warrant is executed, they’ll be brought to Castlerea, in the door and then the Governor will let them go within two hours because of overcrowding. They’re even sent home with the fare for a taxi or bus.
“Prisoners have been known to make it back to Galway faster than the Gardaí that brought them to Castlerea that morning,” the source said.
See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.