Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 June 2022
718. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Justice the estimated cost of providing administrative support to the current restorative justice programme, including all associated costs such as capital costs et cetera. [34066/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraRestorative justice is a criminal justice process which has been shown to help victims recover from crime, reduce reoffending and save public resources and it is now widely accepted that restorative justice is compatible with the traditional criminal justice systems of both common law and civil law jurisdictions.
The Programme for Government commitment to deliver restorative justice safely and effectively is one of the strategic objectives for my Department over the next three years. Five high level actions were identified and outlined in the Justice Plan 2021, four of which have been completed to date.
The Department of Justice funded a group of restorative justice experts and researchers to map the delivery of restorative justice in Ireland, and to publish their findings on a new website. This website was launched in January 2021. It includes the findings of a mapping exercise, and around 35 case studies illustrating the use of restorative justice and restorative practices in criminal justice settings, among other resources.
Policy options have been developed for an appropriate mechanism and process to create awareness and availability of Restorative Justice at all stages of the criminal justice system, with consistency of service ensuring quality in training and practice. My Department is currently finalising a policy paper in this regard and intends to publish policy proposals soon.
Following publication of the policy paper and consideration of its contents, the next steps to delivering a mechanism and process to create greater awareness and availability of Restorative Justice interventions at all stages of the criminal justice system will involve the development of an Implementation Plan, in line with Action 98 in Justice Plan 2022.
Ireland is part of a Council of Europe initiative (Restorative Justice: Strategies for Change - RJS4C), which supports the development of restorative justice in 10 countries in Europe. Project partners collaborate with a stakeholder group of policymakers, practitioners, researchers, activists and other parties to co-create and implement new national strategies. The Irish project team comprises academics and a staff member of the Probation Service.
In October 2018, the Probation Service established a National Restorative Justice and Victim Services Unit which provides support and training to Probation teams across the country. This Unit is located in the Probation Service Headquarters in Haymarket, Dublin 7 and comprises a small team including 1 Assistant Principal Probation Officer, 1 Senior Probation Officer and 1 Probation Officer.
The Unit provides leadership and support for the consistent and integrated provision of a range of restorative justice models including family/restorative conference, offender reparation panel, victim offender mediation and ‘bespoke’ restorative interventions. The Unit also provides a central point of contact for an effective response to victim queries and requests.
The estimated operating cost of the Restorative Justice & Victims Services Unit per year is €220,021.70. A breakdown of this cost is displayed in the below in Table A.
Table A - Cost of Existing Staff – Restorative Justice & Victims Services Unit
|
Officer |
Cost |
|
1x Assistant Principal Probation Officer |
€89,025.45 |
|
1x Senior Probation Officer |
€76,816.06 |
|
1x Probation Officer |
€54,180.18 |
|
TOTAL |
€220,021.70 |
In addition to direct support and training provided by the Restorative Justice and Victims Services Unit, the Probation Service provides €627,000 in funding to four community-based organisations to provide dedicated restorative justice programmes. Details of the CBOs and their funding allocations can be seen in Table B.
Other Probation Service funded CBOs use restorative approaches in their work with clients to promote respectful relationships and address the harm caused by their offending.
Table B
|
CBO Name |
Location |
Description of Service |
Funding Allocation |
|
Restorative Justice Services |
Dublin |
Funding allocated to Restorative Justice Services in 2022 |
€396,000 |
|
Restorative Justice in the Community |
Tipperary, Laois & Offaly |
Funding allocated to Restorative Justice in the Community in 2022 |
€163,000 |
|
Le Chéile |
Limerick |
Funding allocated to Le Chéile for the Restorative Justice Project Worker in 2022 |
€43,261 |
|
Wexford (Cornmarket) |
Wexford |
Funding allocated to Cornmarket for Project Worker for Restorative Justice Service and Probation Clients |
€24,947.93* |
|
TOTAL |
|
|
€627,000 |
* The total salary for this project worker is €49,895.86 (basic salary €44,931 + PRSI €4,964.86). For the purpose of this response, this figure shown is 50% of the salary as the project worker deals with restorative justice work 50% of the time and probation client referrals the other 50% of the time.
