The Isle of Man Prison is operating close to full capacity, with almost 90% of its available spaces currently occupied, according to new figures released by the Department of Home Affairs.

But that’s a small decrease from earlier in the year.

A Freedom of Information (FoI) response published on October 24 shows there are 147 inmates being held at the Jurby facility, which has a maximum capacity of 165.

That leaves space for just 18 additional prisoners.

In April this year, however, the Department of Home Affairs’ chief officer, Dan Davies, confirmed that prison occupancy rates were even higher with a total of 160 prisoners in custody at that time and more than a third of those serving long-term sentences.

Speaking during an oral hearing of the Constitutional and Legal Affairs and Justice Committee on April 7, Mr Davies said: ‘We are looking at a range of options such as tagging disposals rather than custodial disposals.

‘We are also looking at an additional wing for the prison as an option.

‘Since April 2023 the numbers have continued to increase. We have 66 prisoners on long-term sentences (four years or more).’

A spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs confirmed the current figures (as of October 2025), stating: ‘The current maximum occupancy of inmates that the prison can hold is 165, and there are currently 147 inmates residing in the Prison.’

During the April hearing, Mr Davies also highlighted that the island’s bail hostel was full, meaning any future expansion of the prison would also require increased accommodation there.

Justice and Home Affairs Minister Jane Poole-Wilson added that the government was also exploring alternatives to custodial sentences, including piloting problem-solving courts to address underlying issues such as addiction and to ‘change offending behaviour in another way’.

She said: ‘We have to ask are we missing any tools and, if we are, how do we fix that.’