David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This question concerns a model of community court approach operating in the US and the UK, especially in midtown New York and Red Hook. When I was the chair of the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality, we did a lot of work on this issue. It proved to be very effective in dealing with low-level crimes, including misdemeanours, shoplifting and so on. It also had the backup of sociologists and psychologists to help people be diverted away from crime. Has the Department examined this approach in more detail recently?

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