Majority Sent to Magdalene Laundries for Minor Offences

ITV
February 5, 2013

http://www.itv.com/news/update/2013-02-05/majority-sent-to-magdalene-laundries-for-minor-offences/

The majority of women forced into Magdalene laundries were there for minor offences such as theft and not paying for a train ticket.

A small number of women were there for prostitution - despite the stigma attached to those who were sent to the laundries and became known as Maggies, a slang term for prostitute.

The report also confirmed that a garda could arrest a girl or a woman without warrant if she was being recalled to the laundry or if she had run away.