The number of adults sent to prison for defaulting on fines has more than doubled since 1975, according to the newsletter of the Irish Penal Reform Trust.
In 1975, 17 per cent of the 2,349 adults sentenced were fine defaulters. By 1994, the latest year for which figures are available, 38 per cent of the 5,758 adults sentenced had defaulted on fines.
"The deprivation of a person's liberty is the ultimate sanction at the disposal of the State," says the newsletter. "It should be reserved for the most serious offences or where the offender poses a threat to the public. The routine use of custody for those who do not pay their fines is unjust, uneconomical and ineffective."