Ms Olivia Keaveney:

The Probation Service is part of the Department of Justice. Its primary purpose is to assess and manage people who have offended and are subject to supervision in the community. Those referred to us have committed offences across a wide spectrum of crimes. On any one day, the service engages with 9,000 offenders in the community and up to 2,000 persons in custody.

The Probation Service provides those subject to supervision with individualised structured supports in their community to address the factors contributing to offending. Our core aim is to motivate people to change and help them to increase their ability to change while facilitating improved opportunities for change. While each criminal justice agency makes a unique contribution, no single agency has all the answers. We work in partnership with the wider statutory, community and voluntary sector. The Probation Service is a community-facing organisation. Annually, we fund over 60 community-based organisations to support our work. Services provided include education, addiction support, mentoring and outdoor pursuits, among others.

Antisocial behaviour impacts severely on businesses, communities and individuals. While those we work with are, in the main, people who have committed offences, a central focus of our work is addressing the impact of offending on victims.

In considering the specific issue of antisocial behaviour, while there is no agreed or shared definition of the term, it tends to capture a range of behaviours that cause harm and distress to individuals and communities.

There is a lack of relevant data and research on antisocial behaviour in the Irish context, yet we know there is no single cause. Causes include educational disadvantage, unemployment and adverse childhood experiences. Relevant factors include gender, age, family environment and peers. The biggest challenge is breaking the cycle. An effective response has multiple strands, including direct work with individuals; awareness of the family and social context; adopting a cross-sectoral response; and building community capacity and solutions.

In working with individuals, we use evidence-informed practices and interventions to address the underlying causes of offending. Change can be difficult to sustain, and there is a high risk of relapse and reoffending. We regard restorative justice interventions as an integral part of our work with offenders. Effective and meaningful collaboration is critical. An example of this is our involvement with the joint agency response to crime, JARC, initiatives.

Providing opportunities for the community to engage with the service is an important feature of our work. Our volunteer mentoring schemes comprise an example. Working with community activists and leaders is another important feature of our approach. For example, we are involved in the antisocial behaviour forum and the community safety partnership pilots, which prioritise local community concerns and topical issues such as knife crime.

Probation work, done well, makes a significant difference. It adds value to the criminal justice response and ultimately contributes to safer communities. I thank the members. We look forward to taking their questions later in the session.