Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My Department recognises that, in order to protect the public and reduce reoffending behaviour, a joined up approach to the management of offenders is crucial and essential. There are a number of ongoing joint initiatives and policies that my Department leads across the criminal justice agencies aimed at preventing crime, increasing detection of crime, rehabilitation and supporting desistance from crime by persistent offenders. The first joint strategy on the management of offenders was developed in 2016 between my Department, An Garda Síochána, the Probation Service and the Irish Prison Service and is being implemented on an ongoing basis.

I acknowledge the importance of initiatives such as the successful joint agency response to crime, J-ARC, which involves these four bodies. This is a strategic response to the management of prioritised prolific offenders. The evidence-based, intelligence-led objectives of J-ARC target the 25% of recidivists responsible for 75% of crime; manage identified prolific offenders in order to reduce crime; and enhance public safety by strengthening the co-ordination and integration of policy, practice and research. In 2017, the Irish Prison Service in conjunction with the Probation Service and An Garda Síochána extended J-ARC to three new locations in Dundalk, the Kilkenny side of Waterford city and in Limerick city.

A further development in this area is the youth joint agency response to crime initiative, YJ-ARC, launched in 2017. This targets young people aged 16 to 21 who are the most prolific in their offending and provides a structured co-ordination between the Probation Service, An Garda Síochána, the Irish Prison Service, the Irish Youth Justice Service, Tusla and the Department of Education and Skills.

The Government remains fully committed to tackling all forms of criminality and this is evidenced by the increased allocations of resources provided by the Government, with particular reference to these specific streams of funding provided by the Government.

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