Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I agree with Senator Conway’s description of the community courts system in New York. I was learning all through Senator Bacik’s account of the system with anger management as an alternative to prison, bringing in more social science expertise and restorative justice. All the ingredients are there to reform the system. Senator O’Donovan said that in Norway 70% of offenders dealt with by alternatives to prison do not re-offend. Alternatives to prison and a criminal record are very commendable. Great credit is due to Fine Gael Senators for putting this motion down which has support from all sides of the House.

The Minister of State, Deputy Costello, knows from his constituency the problems that arise with detaining low-level offenders in prison. Alternatives to this are worthwhile experiments and I hope we proceed with the recommendation from the National Crime Council to start up a community court system on a trial basis.

I had some experience of people getting into trouble in the university system. It is all small, except where it concerns examination offences which are serious. Even then we had procedures in place so that people did not acquire a criminal record. Immense assistance was given in setting this up by the former President, Mary Robinson, the judges Tom Finlay, Maureen Harding Clark, Henry Barron, Peter Charleton and Gerard Hogan, as well as the late Brian Lenihan. Finding non-judicial and non-court based systems to resolve disputes and putting people back to square one to get on with their lives is immensely valuable. I wish the Minister and his colleagues every success in that endeavour and thank Senator Conway and his colleagues for putting down this motion.