Irish Penal Reform Trust

Care and Justice

It is widely recognised – both nationally and internationally – that children in care of the State are more likely than other children to end up in conflict with the law, more likely to become criminalised, and more likely to end up in detention, and ultimately prison. The profoundly negative cycle of the criminalisation of young people in care results in poorer outcomes for the individual young person, but also for communities and wider society. While the connections between the experience of care and prison have long been identified, IPRT, in conjunction with EPIC (Empowering People in Care), wishes to address the questions as to what extent this is the case in Ireland, why this is happening and how we can break this cycle.

The project has two main aims:

  1. To examine the extent of, and the reasons for the over-representation of children in care or with care experience in the criminal justice system in Ireland and;
  2. To identify the best ways to address and reduce the criminalisation of these young people.

This project is kindly supported by The Community Foundation for Ireland.

Publication of Oberstown Annual Report 2019

23rd July 2020

The Annual Report 2019 highlights the characteristis of the young people in Oberstown care in 2019, reports a marked shift away from the use of restrictive regimes, and details the programmes which continue to have a positive impact on children and young people.

Guest blog for the Howard League for Penal Reform

4th April 2019

Authors of IPRT's 'Care and Justice' report, Dr Nicola Carr and Dr Paula Mayock, wrote a guest blog for the Howard League for Penal Reform's blog on ending the criminalisation of children in residential care.

Round Up: IPRT 'Care and Justice' Report Launch

26th February 2019

On Tues 26 February IPRT published 'Care and Justice', authored by Dr Nicola Carr and Dr Paula Mayock.

Care and Justice: Children and Young People in Care and Contact with the Criminal Justice System

26th February 2019

This report contains 12 recommendations on the need for reform in the area of children with care experience who come into contact with the criminal justice system.

IPRT publishes report on children with care experience in criminal justice system

26th February 2019

ADVISORY: IPRT has published a report, calling for more inter-agency collaboration, sustained policy attention, and the systematic collection of data to tackle the issue of children and young people in care coming into contact with the criminal justice system.

Call For Submissions: Addressing the Over-Representation of Children in Care in the Criminal Justice System

16th March 2018

The Irish Penal Reform Trust has commissioned research on the over-representation of children in care or with care experience in the criminal justice system.

Invitation to Tender: Breaking the Care to Prison Pipeline

24th November 2017

IPRT is now inviting tenders for the research and production of a report examining the reasons for the over-representation of children in care, or with experience of care, in the criminal justice system in Ireland.

Criminal Care – Children’s Homes and Criminalising Children

15th April 2016

The Howard League for Penal Reform has recently released a report "Criminal Care – Children’s Homes and Criminalising Children" on their research of how children living in children’s homes in England are being criminalised at excessively high rates compared to all other groups of children.

UK: 'Looked After Children and Offending: Reducing Risk and Promoting Resilience'

17th January 2012

A new report by The Adolescent and Children's Trust (TACT) and the Centre for the Research on the Child and the Family at the University of East Anglia looks at the correlation between children in care and offending.

Guardian: Spending Early on Children in Care

31st March 2010

The complex needs of children in care - why investing in their future is investing in our own.

Our work is supported by

Respect for rights in the penal system with prison as a last resort.

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