STATE AGENCIES need to work more closely to build confidence in the youth justice system and help divert more young people away from offending behaviour, Minister for Children Brendan Smith said yesterday.
He was speaking at the launch of a three-year national youth justice strategy focused on providing better outcomes for children who have already had some contact with the criminal justice system.
It will also include a greater emphasis on alternatives to detention, such as Garda diversion projects and community sanctions. These oblige children involved in crime to take part in community service, intensive supervision, training and mentoring.
The Government has faced criticism in the past over the fragmented way State agencies in areas such as health, justice and welfare often work in isolation when providing support to the same groups of at-risk children.
However, Mr Smith said the aim of the plan was to develop a co-ordinated approach among agencies to help reduce offending and re-offending. The five main goals of the strategy are to:
- Promote greater use of community sanctions and other non-custodial initiatives;
- Provide a safe and secure environment for detained children, which will assist their early re-integration into the community;
- Strengthen and develop information and data collection to help provide more effective policies and services;
- Provide leadership and build public confidence in the youth justice system; and
- Work to reduce offending by diverting young people from offending behaviour.
A national youth justice oversight group will oversee the implementation of the plan. This committee will include Sylda Langford, director general of the Office of the Minister for Children; Michelle Shannon, national director of the Irish Youth Justice Service; Mary Doyle of the Department of An Taoiseach; Hugh Kane of the Health Service Executive; and senior officials from the Garda and Department of Education.
The strategy received a broadly positive welcome from groups who work with young offenders, although they emphasised that funding was vital.
Fr Tony O'Riordan, director of the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice, said: "A lot of this depends on resources and whether they will be made available over the years ahead. In particular, there is no mention of investing in services for children who have a drink or drug dependency, which really needs proper resources." He added that he hoped the oversight group would ultimately include a voice from the child advocacy perspective, such as the Ombudsman for Children or a representative from the voluntary sector.
Youth Work Ireland welcomed the plan, but voiced disappointment that it only aims to provide additional Garda juvenile liaison officers over the next three years, subject to resources. "While there are problems in many communities, we also need to see an enhanced effort by the gardaí to improve relationships with young people," said the group's Michael McLoughlin.