Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 8 Feb 1995

Vol. 448 No. 7

Written Answers. - Juvenile Recidivism.

Eric J. Byrne

Question:

33 Mr. E. Byrne asked the Minister for Justice the information, if any, available on levels of recidivism among juvenile offenders released from custody in view of the huge cost of keeping juvenile offenders in custody; the plans, if any, she has to examine more cost-effective methods of dealing with juvenile offenders; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2545/95]

Minister for Justice (Mrs. Owen)

My Department caters for the detention of male offenders aged 16 years and over and female offenders aged 17 years and over. Offenders under that age cannot be sent to prisons or places of detention operated by my Department except in special circumstances provided for in sections 97 and 102 of the Children Act, 1908. Such offenders may be sent to special schools. These schools are the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Education.

Recidivism rates among juvenile offenders committed to St. Patrick's Institution, Dublin in the latest year for which figures are available are given in the following table. The information in respect of other institutions is not readily available.

The Deputy will be aware that my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Austin Currie, has been given responsibility for the co-ordination of policy in relation to children as between the Departments of Education, Justice and Health. He will take special responsibility for the comprehensive new juvenile justice legislation being prepared at present. One of the areas receiving particular attention is the question of pro viding the courts with the power to impose a wide range of communitybased sanctions and measures on juvenile offenders. Such sanctions and measures coupled, as they often are, with supervision by the probation and welfare service tend to reduce the rate of recidivism.

He will also take a special interest in the Government's various programmes for the diversion of young people away from crime at a much earlier stage. The urban crime and disorder report is of particular relevance in this connection. He will be reviewing measures that have been taken, including Garda community programmes in various urban centres including Dublin, Cork and Limerick, the nationwide Garda juvenile liaison scheme and initiatives taken in the area of truancy and drugs awareness by the Departments of Education and Health. The importance of these measures lies in the fact that it is extremely difficult to achieve results in terms of diverting juveniles from a life of crime when they have reached the point where the courts have no alternative but to commit them to custody.

Number of Previous Sentences of Persons Committed to St. Patrick's Institution during 1992.

Number who previously served a sentence of imprisonment/detention:

	1992
Once	144
Twice	71
Three times	14
Four times	14
Five times	4
Six to ten times	9
Eleven to twenty times	3
Over twenty times	0
Total	259
Number who had not previously served a sentence of imprisonment/detention	842
Total number committed	1,101