Backstrom sued the prison system over the accident the following ... Sometimes, the lights never go off, or there aren’t any mattresses, or the facilities are just too loud.

So is it time to ramp up efforts to find an alternative to prison, particularly for those who are sentenced to a year or less ...

A cell in Mountjoy Prison with a mattress on the floor to accommodate a second prisoner because of overcrowding. Picture: Moya Nolan He said that while figures for last year are not yet available ...