Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

The Deputy may be aware that the ten community sanctions listed in section 115 of the Children Act 2001, as amended, include a range of measures which would normally involve a level of supervision of the young person by a probation officer. These may include, for example, involvement of the young person's parents or attendance by the young person at a specified training course, residential supervision or mentoring. They also include restriction on movement order, which is effectively a curfew overseen by An Garda Síochána.

Young persons probation, YPP, is a specialised division of the probation service with dedicated resources to work with children aged 12 to 18 who come before the courts. It was established to implement the sections of the Children Act 2001 relating to young persons probation in conjunction with the Irish Youth Justice Service. The young persons probation division of the probation service was extended in 2008 to provide a national service from bases in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Drogheda and Sligo. This has allowed for the community sanctions to be made available nationwide.

It is important to note that the imposition of any particular sanction is a matter for the courts. YPP assists the court through making recommendations which outline the most appropriate community disposal for consideration, based on a full evaluation and risk assessment. At a local level managers and officers liaise with the sitting Judiciary and Courts Service staff in regard to the provision of community sanctions.

Information on sanctions imposed by the courts on young offenders is published each year in the annual report of the Courts Service. These reports are available on the Courts Service website and in the Oireachtas Library. The most recent such report is in respect of the year 2009. Related information is also available in the probation service annual report, the most recent of which is also in respect of the year 2009. This report is available on the probation service website and also in the Oireachtas Library.

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