Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 June 2023
250. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Justice how many people took part in restorative justice delivered by the Probation Service in 2022; the outcomes of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26838/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can advise the Deputy that at present, restorative justice is delivered by the Probation Service both pre-sentence and post-sentence; by An Garda Síochána, within the Garda Youth Diversion Programme; and by Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) that receive referrals at specific points in the criminal justice process.
There are two projects in receipt of Probation Service funding that provide dedicated restorative justice interventions in response to requests from the Court. The Restorative Justice Service in the Greater Dublin Area and Restorative Justice in the Community in the Laois, Offaly and Tipperary region. A number of other projects also provide restorative justice interventions as part of a wider suite of services to offenders.
Restorative justice may be considered as a sanction in itself or it may complement other legislative sanctions. There are a number of restorative justice models including Family/Restorative Conferences, Offender Reparation Panel, Victim-Offender Mediation and Bespoke Restorative Justice Interventions.
In Budget 2023, the Probation Service was allocated additional funding to support the development of capacity in CBOs to facilitate restorative justice services.
I am advised by the Probation Service that the figures below outline the number of restorative justice referrals received by the Probation Service and Probation-funded CBOs in 2022.
|
Cornmarket Project |
10 |
|
Le Chéile Mentoring |
12 |
|
Probation Service – Young Persons Probation¹ |
* |
|
Probation Service – Adult² |
63 |
|
Restorative Justice in the Community |
88 |
|
Restorative Justice Services³ |
240 |
* Data not displayed in accordance with Statistical Disclosure control to ensure that individuals are protected against disclosure.
¹ Plus 1 pre-sentence report/restorative justice request
² Figures likely partial due to manual collation process
³ Figures gathered manually
I am further advised by the Probation Service, that the data given above relates to number of referrals, and does not necessarily correlate to the number of persons. Due to limitations with existing IT systems, the Probation Service does not currently capture the volume of restorative justice interventions used in adult and juvenile cases. The Service has recognised the need to advance data and ITC capability as a strategic priority for the organisation and is working with my Department to develop plans to meet these objectives over the coming year.
