New Cork Prison locks down with Lava Access Control

The new Cork Prison was officially opened on Friday, seeing 163 prisoners being transferred from the old prison.

The project was worth €45m and is said to lead to major improvements for both prisoners and staff.

The director general of the Irish Prison Service, Michael Donnellan welcomed the closure of the old site which he said was inadequate in terms of working conditions for staff and living conditions for prisoners.

“The new Cork Prison will provide good working conditions for staff and adequate and suitable accommodation for all prisoners in accordance with our national and international obligations – this new prison ends the practice of slopping out,” he said.

Lava provided the access control systems for the prison, supplying hi-tech lock controllers that control the electric lock on the doors and can integrate into biometric technology, intercom systems and cameras.

The build in Cork is set to be an example for new prisons in southern Ireland going forward, with the introduction of a number of innovative initiatives.