SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS of young people do not fully understand the consequences of failing to comply with bail conditions and are at a high risk of being put into detention, according to a major study commissioned by the Government.
Delays in processing the cases of young people before the Children's Court are also diluting the impact of the court and placing young children at greater risk of reoffending, new research shows.
Young People on Remand, by Dr Mairead Seymour and Dr Michelle Butler of Dublin Institute of Technology's centre for social and educational research, was commissioned by the office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs.
The study is based on 30 interviews with young people, aged between 13 and 19, more than 200 case observations at the Dublin Children's Court and a consultation survey with 120 professionals.
With the exception of one case, all of the 30 young people had been on bail in the previous two years and all of them had broken the conditions of bail.
The report shows that over one-third (39 per cent) of the 120 professionals consulted said young people "rarely or never" understood what it meant to be on bail and only a small minority (4 per cent) thought that young people "always" understood.
Many professionals also said delays in finalising cases were compounded by a perception among young people that bail conditions were not being monitored regularly by gardaí, resulting in few immediate consequences. This also led to many young people amassing further charges while on bail. The study identifies a core group of young people who, it says, are deeply entrenched in the youth justice system and are likely to benefit from bail support and alternatives to remand programmes to reduce their risk of future detention. It says a broad range of social, educational, health and welfare services are needed to target factors related to offending behaviour and to address barriers to bail compliance.
Minister for Children Barry Andrews said the report highlighted the need for supports for young people on remand, to promote greater compliance with the conditions of bail and to reduce the use of detention on remand.
He said work on developing bail support for young people will be progressed as a "main priority" next year. This work will include a bail information service to target young people who have difficulty understanding court bail requirements.
The Irish Penal Reform Trust said more needed to be done to break the cycle of youth offending at the earliest point. "This report shows opportunities for constructive intervention with young people are being missed during a crucial period while they are awaiting trial," said the trust's director Liam Herrick.