Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the steps that have been taken or are likely to be taken to discourage by way of rehabilitation, training or education young offenders particularly first time offenders from a life of crime; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46795/12]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Where a young person under the age of 18 comes into conflict with the law the principles of the Children Act, 2001 apply. It requires the various authorities within the youth justice system to apply incrementally a series of measures, ranging from diversion to community sanctions, and with detention as a last resort.

The first measure is the Garda Diversion Programme. The objective of the Programme is, unless the interests of society otherwise require, to divert any child who accepts responsibility for his or her criminal behaviour from committing further offences. The Programme provides for the informal caution (without supervision) and the formal (supervised) caution by a Garda, including possible involvement with a Garda Youth Diversion Project (GYDP). There are 100 GYDPs throughout the country and these are designed to engage with young people who have been involved or are identified as being at risk of involvement in criminal or anti-social behaviour. The GYDPs aim to bring about the conditions whereby the behavioural patterns of young people towards law and order, can develop and mature through positive interventions and interaction with the project. The GYDPs also provide a range of education and training programmes e.g. academic support, IT, employment preparation and specific job training. The Garda Programme of Restorative Justice also works within the Diversion Programme and involves a process whereby the victim of the offence is given the opportunity to meet or have views presented to the offender.

Where a young offender comes before the Courts a number of supervised community sanctions may be considered. Theses sanctions are provided by Young Persons Probation (YPP) a specialised Division of the Probation Service via a number of community based organisations with dedicated resources to work with these young people. YPPs aim to:

- To help prevent young offenders re-offending.

- To assist in reintegration into community and to enhance the support network around each young person in their community.

- To improve education attainment and progression to training or employment.

FÁS and local VECs work in conjunction with some of the community based projects to offer training and education and counselling and other support services are also offered.

Finally, as a last resort, detention may be used. On admission to the Children Detention Schools, children are assessed by residential care staff to determine their particular areas of risk and need (e.g. anti-social attitudes, substance use, negative peers). Young people also attend offending programmes run by staff which target behaviour. For example, the Reasoning and Rehabilitation (R&R) Programme teaches cognitive skills to help young people react more appropriately to situations that might trigger anti-social or criminal behaviour.

The Children Detention Schools also prioritise education. Young people are required to attend school on site and all educational services are provided by County Dublin Vocational Education Committee. Individual Educational Plans are prepared for each child in detention on arrival and many of the children go on to complete State examinations on the Oberstown campus.

The Irish Prison Service which currently caters for young offenders aged 17 or over in St Patrick's Institution provides a wide range of rehabilitative programmes that include education, vocational training, healthcare, psychiatric, psychological, counselling, welfare and spiritual services. These programmes are available in all prisons and all prisoners are eligible to use the services. On committal, all prisoners are interviewed by the Governor and are informed of the services available in the prison. At this point prisoners may be referred to services or they can self refer at a later date. Where Governors consider, on the information available, that a prisoner needs a particular intervention they will initiate a referral.

The development of prisoner programmes forms a central part of the new Irish Prison Service Three Year Strategic Plan 2012 - 2015. There is a clear commitment in the Strategy to enhance sentence planning including Integrated Sentence Management and the delivery of prison based rehabilitative programmes such as education, work training and resettlement programmes.