Hu'atolitoli, on Tongatapu, is badly overcrowded with the Prison Commissioner Semisi Tapueluelu, saying cells built for one were now housing up to four inmates.
Tapueluelu said there were 51 cells, which should each hold one person each, however he said sometimes the prison roster was as high as 180.
There were also inmates with psychiatric issues in Hu'atolitoli because the main clinic at Vaiola Hospital was sending erratic and hard to control patients to the jail.
The commissioner said there were a number of reasons for the growing prison population.
