Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Probation Service, in partnership with community based organisations, is engaged in the promotion, development and delivery of restorative justice initiatives. Extending the range of restorative justice schemes is a strategic priority for the Probation Service.

As regards adult offenders, the Probation Service has expanded the restorative justice service based in Tallaght to the Criminal Courts of Justice and the courts in south County Dublin, while the Nenagh Community Reparation Project has been extended to the courts in north Tipperary. Both services are operated through community-based organisations. This has been done following a 12 month pilot which the Probation Service commenced in June 2011 to test a range of restorative interventions based on the recommendations contained in the report of the National Commission on Restorative Justice. A restorative justice project focusing on young offenders has also been developed in partnership with the voluntary and community sector in Limerick.

For my part, my focus is to encourage the use, to the greatest extent possible, of the menu of non-custodial options available to the courts. I believe the restorative justice concept has a place in that range of available options and it is my intention to build on the progress being made. I very much welcome the progress that has been made to date to the extent that we have now gone beyond merely having pilot schemes in place.

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