Day after day in Cork’s district court, the same pattern emerges: women stealing groceries, clothing, baby food; it’s what advocates call “survival crimes.” Behind each case lies a story of trauma, addiction, and desperate poverty.

New research by the Irish Examiner reveals the stark reality of women’s incarceration in Cork. Over five years, they analysed more than 5,000 court cases and uncovered troubling patterns: women averaging 34 years old, serving 11-month sentences primarily for theft, with some accumulating over 200 previous convictions in endless cycles of crime and punishment.

But the numbers are only a part of the story.

In overcrowded prisons running at 163% capacity, women sleep on mattresses while dealing with untreated trauma from domestic violence, sexual abuse, and grief. Many are self-medicating with substances, trapped in a system that punishes rather than heals.

“We really need to start dealing with the root cause of why it is happening in the first place,” says one expert interviewed for the investigation.

The complete Irish Examiner investigation reveals the full scope of this crisis and the proven alternatives that could transform how Ireland treats female offenders.