13,987 people sent to jail last year
The latest report from the Irish Prison Service shows that there was almost a 9% increase in the number of people sent to prison last year.
A total of 13,987 people were given a prison sentence in 2015, up from 12,853 in the previous year.
The highest proportion of these - more than 4,700 - were due to road and traffic offences, while more than 1,600 of the sentences were for offences against the state or organised crime.
Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald also launched a strategic plan to improve the prison service from now until 2021, and acknowledged "very serious issues" needed to be addressed.
