Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Of course it is. We have seen the murder of members of An Garda Síochána and different people. Any murder, the taking of life, is the most heinous crime there is. Of course there should be mandatory sentences, and not a slipshod version of it - that is not a life sentence. Life should mean life because after all, somebody has taken another person's life. The situation regarding under-age people who commit murder is a huge issue as well. While there are measures in this Bill to deal with that, it is a very difficult and delicate area. The JLO system has operated, as we know, pretty well over the decades. When it comes to murder, as this Bill deals with, there is not really any room for a juvenile liaison officer, because at that stage it is too late and a life has been taken in violent circumstances. We must try to have early intervention in schools, in homes and in the community. No one wants to see a young person go wrong and commit heinous crimes. They are not born into this country to do that. It is heartbreaking for their family as well. We also need more intervention at an earlier level.

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