Overview
Background
In December 2005, following a review of the youth justice system, the Government agreed a programme to implement youth justice reforms. These reforms included the establishment of the Irish Youth Justice Service (IYJS) as an executive office of the Department of Justice and Law Reform and a number of key legislative amendments to the Children Act 2001. These were aimed at changing the way in which responsibility for youth justice matters was previously spread across a number of Departments. It is now co-ordinated and focused by a single body, the Irish Youth Justice Service.
To read the Report on the Youth Justice Review, please click here.
The Irish Youth Justice Service
The Irish Youth Justice Service was established in December 2005 and Ms Michelle Shannon appointed as the National Director in April 2006. The main responsibilities of IYJS are to:
- Develop a unified youth justice policy
- Devise and develop a national strategy to deliver this policy and service
- Link this strategy where appropriate with other child related strategies
- Manage and develop children detention facilities
- Manage the implementation of provisions of the Children Act 2001 which relate to community sanctions, restorative justice conferencing and diversion
- Co-ordination of service delivery at both national and local level
- Establish and support consultation and liaison structures with key stakeholders including at local level to oversee the delivery of this service and response
- Develop and promote information sources for the youth justice sector to inform further strategies, policies and programmes
Nature of offending by those under 18 years of age
Garda (Irish police force) statistics show that the types of offence committed by children under the age of 18 years are primarily theft, alcohol-related offences, criminal damage, assault, traffic offences, drugs possession, public order offences and burglary.
In most cases, the Garda Juvenile Diversion Programme is used to deal with these offences.
Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (OMCYA)
In December 2006, the Government established the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (originally called the Office of the Minister for Children) to bring greater coherence to policy making for children. The OMCYA focuses on harmonising policy issues that affect children in areas such as early childhood care and education, youth justice, child welfare and protection, children and young people’s participation, research on children and young people and cross-cutting initiatives for children.
The Irish Youth Justice Service operates within the strategic environment of the OMCYA to ensure that youth justice issues are viewed in the wider context of children’s services generally.
Additonal links
For details on the various Topics available in this section, please select from the links below
Age of Criminal Responsibility
The Children Court
Young Persons Probation
An Garda Síochána
