New research by the Irish Examiner reveals that nearly a quarter of all jail sentences in Cork city over a five-year period were given to homeless individuals.
The most common offenses leading to incarceration in the city courts were theft, assault, public order violations, and drug-related crimes. Men accounted for 87% of all jail sentences, and their sentences were, on average, twice as long as those given to women, according to the data.
The research also found that individuals living on the northside of Cork city tended to receive longer jail terms compared to those with southside addresses. Addiction or substance abuse was a factor in almost three-quarters of the analyzed cases, and seven northside suburbs figured among the top 10 locations based on the number of jail terms imposed.
These northside suburbs are situated in areas identified as ‘disadvantaged’ or ‘very disadvantaged’ according to the 2022 Pobal deprivation index, characterized by higher unemployment rates, more single-parent families, and lower levels of school completion and higher education participation.
These findings emerge from a comprehensive analysis of over 5,000 court cases from Cork city courts, documented in the Irish Examiner or The Echo between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2024.
Beginning Monday, June 23, 2025, the three-day series will be featured in the print edition of the Irish Examiner and available online here.
The reports covered a wide range of criminal activities, from murder, rape, assault, and serious drug offenses in the higher courts to burglary, theft, fraud, public order disturbances, and road traffic violations in the district court.
A total of 1,415 cases involving jail sentences were identified and subjected to thorough analysis, providing detailed insight into the demographics of those incarcerated and the reasons behind their imprisonment. Key findings include:
- Men accounted for 1,232, or 87%, of the jail terms.
- Nearly half of those jailed were homeless or had a northside address.
- Gurranabraher, Mayfield, Knocknaheeny, and Blackpool recorded the highest number of jail terms, with Mahon on the southside completing the top five.
- The Glen, Ballincollig, Fairhill, the city centre, and Farranree rounded out the top 10.
- The primary offenses were theft, assault, public order violations, and drug offenses, which collectively accounted for 72% of all jail sentence cases analyzed.
- The average age of incarcerated individuals was 34.
- The average sentence length was 22 months, with women receiving an average of 11 months and men 23.4 months.
- Almost 60% of those jailed had prior convictions.
- Addiction to alcohol or drugs was implicated in 72% of cases, with drugs mentioned in 41% of cases and alcohol in 38%.
- Addiction was a widespread problem across the city.
The data highlights theft, assault, public order offenses, and dealing or supplying drugs as the four leading crime categories resulting in imprisonment.
Theft was the most prevalent, mentioned in one-third of all analyzed cases, with an average sentence of slightly over 11 months. Addiction was noted in 58% of these cases.
Assault was the second most common, cited in over one-fifth of all jail terms, resulting in an average sentence of 26.3 months. Addiction was a factor in 57% of these cases, with alcohol being the sole issue in slightly more than half.
Public order offenses ranked third, appearing in 17% of the analyzed cases, with an average sentence of seven months imposed. Addiction was involved in 67% of these cases, with alcohol being the primary issue.
Drugs for sale or supply were mentioned in just over 10% of the jail terms, carrying an average sentence of 36.6 months. Addiction was involved in 64% of these cases, with drug addiction being the sole issue in all of them.
The research also indicates that addiction was a factor in over half of all jail cases city-wide, with both drugs and alcohol posing a significant problem on both sides of the river.
