At the moment youth offending appears to be stable in Ireland and the number of prosecutions has been steadily going down.
In 2001 a new Children’s Act was brought in to replace the old one. While this is very positive much of it still hasn’t been put into place. In particular, work on the parts relating to criminal responsibility and Children Detention Schools has not begun yet.
The Garda (Police) in Ireland work to prevent young people committing crime through activities including discussions in schools and youth centres. The activities are aimed at changing criminal behaviour, supporting young people’s personal development and civic responsibility.
But Ireland has a very low age of criminal responsibility – seven years old. Fortunately when the Children’s Act is fully in place this will bring the age up to 12, but there is some worry that social services and the care system are not ready for the extra numbers of young people.
It is very important that these services are provided with the money and support they need to cope.
See the UK and Ireland report for more information
