Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the national youth justice strategy. It is my hope that it will enhance criminal justice processes, detention and post-detention measures to discourage repeat offenders. I particularly welcome the strategy's focus on preventative measures for children below 12 years of age who had previously fallen through the cracks owing to the age of criminal responsibility being 12 for most offences.

As Deputy Andrews stated, the strategy document shows strong links between youth offending and socio-economic circumstances as well as child and family welfare issues. These underlying issues need to be addressed if we are serious about addressing youth crime. We also need stronger penalties for adults who take advantage of children when they involve them in crime. We must consider how youth justice policy could be more closely aligned with other child and youth policies and the promotion of community development. As the old saying goes, prevention is better than cure, as the Minister of State alluded. There must be a strong emphasis on diverting our youth from offending. Early intervention is a key element of this. We must bring all of the relevant agencies together and provide supports for schools and parents to ensure that we provide an holistic response to the needs of children and young people who are at risk. Garda youth diversion projects across the State are making a big difference, but we need to see more investment in them. While there are 105 in total, there are just two in County Kildare and two in County Laois. Many areas do not have a Garda youth diversion project service. The strategy proposes to achieve full national coverage within two years by extending the operating area of existing projects. This cannot be done properly if we do not significantly increase their budget.

We must ensure that there are enough sports and recreational facilities in our towns for young people. Sports and hobby facilities must be inclusive and for everyone, not just high performers. We cannot just keep building large housing estates without providing infrastructure at the same time. There must be community buildings and municipal sports campuses. If we do not provide these, we are making a rod for our own back. Boredom and disaffection are at the root of many crimes and must be addressed if we are to see improvements in this area.

See this speech in context