Madam, - Your Editorial of April 20th, entitled "Use of Asbos", made disappointing reading.
You expressed grave concern at the use of anti-social behaviour orders to criminalise children. You nodded sympathetically in the direction of civil liberty issues. You praised the Minister for Justice for listening to the concerns of the Children's Ombudsman and the Human Rights Commission. Incidentally, you didn't mention that he has a statutory obligation to listen to them anyway.
Your Editorial went on to say that so many changes had now been made to the rather nasty original British Asbos that the new Irish Asbos could be deemed welcome. You concluded with an extraordinary blessing on the scheme, namely that the "issuing of the Asbo order will be subject to judicial discretion and will follow evidence".
Imagine! Such undeserving children! What generosity! Due process for those who are about to be criminalised! Whatever will we have next? But whatever spin is put on the Asbo scheme to assuage the consciences of the liberal readers of The Irish Times there remain some serious problems to be addressed. The age of criminal responsibility is being reduced from 12 in the Children's Act (2001) to 10 in the Criminal Justice Bill before the Dáil at present. The Children's Act, which was passed five years ago, has never been implemented because the Government failed to deliver the resources or employ the necessary personnel. It is unlikely that will change now.
The reality is that children from the age of 10 can now receive an Asbo and acquire a criminal record that can never be expunged. Cherishing the children of the nation this is not! - Yours, etc,
JOE COSTELLO TD, Dáil Éireann, Dublin 2.