James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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At the outset I would like to assure the Deputy that my Department is committed to building stronger and safer communities and implementing policies designed to create a pathway to divert young people away from a life of crime.

As the Deputy will be aware, Youth Diversion Projects (YDPs) are community-based, multi-agency crime prevention initiatives which seek to divert young people who have become involved in crime or anti-social behaviour, and to support wider preventative work in the community and with families at risk. There are currently over 100 YDPs throughout the State providing suitable activities to facilitate personal development, promote pro-social behaviour and improve long term employability prospects for participants.

Youth diversion is not about young people avoiding punishment or consequences. It is about recognising that many young people who do stray from the proper path simply need support and direction to get their lives back on track. The work of the YDPs benefits everyone in our communities as they work to promote pro-social activities and outcomes for young people at risk of a life of criminality. 

Funding for YDPs is provided by the Department of Justice and co-financed by the European Union under ESF+ and, in Budget 2023, a further €2.5 million in funding was allocated to youth justice services, increasing the total budget allocation for the YDPs and other youth justice projects to €30.24 million.

This funding will be deployed with the assistance of the best available research and expert evidence to keep young people away from crime.

Under the Youth Justice Strategy 2021-27, the intention is to further develop this service so that it is available to every child in the State who could benefit from it, through an ongoing expansion of existing services and the foundation of new projects where necessary.

A call for expressions of interest from community groups for establishment of a number of new YDPs in areas that currently are not covered issued on 30 November and a number of expressions of interest have been received with full applications due before end of Q2 2023.

Additionally, in line with the commitment in the Programme for Government and the Youth Justice Strategy, my Department launched a public consultation on appropriate diversion processes for young adults aged 18-24 who come into contact with the criminal justice system. It is well recognised internationally that more considered responses by justice systems for this age group may produce better results. This consultation closed in January and my Department will organise a number of subsequent consultation events for stakeholders over the coming months with a view to bringing forward proposals by the end of the year.

My Department also has a dedicated youth justice partnership with the internationally recognised REPPP team (Research Evidence into Policy Programmes and Practice) at the University of Limerick which is guiding the development of programmes and practices within the framework of the Youth Justice Strategy.

This includes the REPPP Action Research Project which aims to co-design and implement new guidance on effective practitioner and young person relationships in Youth Diversion Projects (YDPs). This has been done using 16 YDP sites nationwide and involving them in a trial process over 2 years.

REPP is also providing dedicated research and expert support, including best practice support for the nationwide project network (to roll out expanded and additional YDPs to fully ensure national coverage), facilitated by the REPPP project team.

Justice Plan 2023 commits to diverting children away from gangs seeking to recruit them into a life of crime. We will continue to roll out the evidence-based community intervention programme “Greentown”, which seeks to break the link between children who are engaged or at risk of engaging with a criminal gang.

Minister Harris recently published the Criminal Justice (Engagement of Children in Criminal Activity) Bill 2023. This new legislation, which will criminalise the grooming of children into a life of crime will, for the first time, create specific offences where an adult compels, coerces, induces or invites a child to engage in criminal activity.

I am determined to protect children and teenagers from being coerced into a life of crime, and the penalty on conviction is up to five years' imprisonment.

The new offence will be a separate, prosecutable offence on top of the provisions in current law where an adult who causes or uses a child to commit a crime can generally be found guilty as the principal offender - meaning they can be punished as though they committed the crime themselves.