Praise for Juvenile Diversion Programme

THE gardaí’s Juvenile Diversion Programme in Clare has been praised for its work in keeping teenagers away from a life of crime. Restorative justice, which allows young offenders to come face to face with victims of crime has been hailed a success.

Details of the diversion programme for youths aged 12 to 18 were outlined at this week’s meeting of Clare’s Joint Policing Committee. It was confirmed that the first four months of this year have seen 243 referrals to the programme in the Ennis district.  The Ennistymon district has seen one referral in 2013, Killaloe’s district had seven referrals and in the Kilrush district, there have been 31 referrals.

According to Garda Therese Flannery, juvenile liaison officer based at Ennis Garda Station, “The diversion programme is a means of dealing with children who offend in a manner other than by way of prosecution and is designed to divert the child from the courts and away from further offending.”

To be included in the programme, the child must accept responsibility for their criminal behaviour, Garda Flannery explained. There are currently two garda youth diversion projects in Clare, one in Kilrush and another at the Clare Youth Centre.
Garda Flannery outlined a number of actions can be taken by gardaí in dealing with young people who have come to the attention of gardaí. These include: no further action in the case of minor offences or taking into account circumstances;  informal cautions for first-time offenders or a minor offence; a formal caution with 12 months supervision for repeat offenders and more serious offence and the potential for a return to the local superintendent for prosecution.

She spoke about the positive results local gardaí have seen through the use of restorative intervention. She explained a restorative caution allows for the presence of a victim of crime when a caution is being adminstered.
“In some cases, the young person might not see the offence as a crime against a person, this is a way for them to see the person behind the crime they have committed. Restorative cautions are a fantastic way of dealing with people. In one case, we had a young person who had stolen Christmas presents but they had never thought of the harm they had done, they just thought of the presents as just stuff. Then they met with the victim, who said they ruined Christmas. The young person was very upset, they got to see the face behind the crime.” She stated that while the victim’s presence at caution is not essential for it to be restorative, gardaí encourage them to take part. “Those that do get involved in this process find it very rewarding, on both sides,” said Garda Flannery.

Clare’s Chief Superintendent John Kerin praised the work of the programme in Clare and of Gardai Flannery and Margaret Purcell of the juvenile liaision office. However, he warned that repeat offenders will face the courts. “The percentage of people who don’t abide by warnings is minimal,” he added.

Members of the JPC, which includes local councillors, applauded the project. However, questions were raised about the role of parental supervision. Chief Superintendent Kerin commented, “It is wrong to say that in every incident, it is the parents’ fault. We have dealt with brilliant parents whose children unfortunately, for whatever reason, go through a phase where they don’t listen. A lot of this is down to the company they keep and the habits they develop that is the cause of endless heartbreak to their parents, it’s unfair to blame them as it’s often not heir fault.”