Overcrowding in the Irish prison estate contributed to prison tuck shops enjoying record revenues of €12.47m for 2025.
New figures provided by the Minister for Justice, Migration and Home Affairs, Jim O'Callaghan TD show that two tuck shops at Irish prisons at Mountjoy and Wheatfield prisons recorded revenues in excess of €2m last year.
In a written Dáil reply to Aidan Farrelly (Social Democrats), Minister O’Callaghan revealed that the tuck shop at Mountjoy prison generated revenues of €2.72m in 2025 with the tuck shop at the Midlands prison making revenues of €2.33m.
The combined revenues at the 11 tuck shops of €12.47m in 2025 are a 20.6% increase on the combined revenues of €10.34m for 2024.
The surge in revenues comes against the background of a larger customer base for the tuck shops due to continuing over-crowding at Irish prisons.
On the last day of last year, the Irish prison system was at 122% of bed capacity, and this compared to the prison system being at 111% capacity at the end of 2024.
Daily statistics published by the Irish Prison Service (IPS) show that the prison system is currently running at 124% of bed capacity.
The figures provided by Minister O’Callaghan show that the combined profits enjoyed by tuck shops last year increased by 61% from €486,159 to €781,224.
The most profitable tuck shop last year was in the Midlands prison where a surplus of €158,502 was recorded.
Three other tuck shops recorded profits over €100,000: Mountjoy at €130,732; Limerick at €115,208 and €109,847 at Wheatfield.
The tuck shops sell prisoners a range of confectionery, soft drinks, tobacco products, toiletries, magazines and other items.
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Purchases are made on a cashless basis, with payment for items consumed being drawn from prisoners’ personal money accounts.
In his reply, Minister O’Callaghan said that to assist in alleviating the cost of tuck shop items for prisoners, a decision was taken by the IPS to change the sales price for all non-tobacco products, from February 2021.
He said that tuck shop items are for sale at cost price plus 5%, with the exception of tobacco, which remains at the Recommended Retail Price.
Minister O’Callaghan stated that the Prisoner Assist Programme Fund (PAPF) is funded from surpluses earned in the prison shops.
He said that surpluses "from the prison shops may also be used on an ad hoc basis, to fund prisoner initiatives as approved by the Directors Leadership Team".
The figures show that four other tuck shops generated revenues in excess of €1m last year: Wheatfield - €1.59m; Limerick - €1.27m; Cloverhill - €1.19m and Castlerea €1.03m.
Two other prison tuck shops enjoyed revenues between €1m and €500,000 with revenues of €988,279 at Cork prison and revenues of €817,669 at Portlaoise prison.
The figures for the other prisons show that revenues at Arbour Hill totalled €211,977, Loughan House €133,906, and €159,884 at Shelton Abbey.
In the two months to the end of February this year, prison tuck shops have recorded revenues of €2.2m.
