Irish Penal Reform Trust

Prevention and Early Intervention

Crime cannot be viewed as a social problem in isolation from deeper social and economic issues. Understanding and responding to offending behaviour is a complex issue. There is no one ‘cause’ and no single solution; consequently one-dimensional approaches are unlikely to produce results. Currently, the Irish criminal justice system is spending increasing and wasteful amounts of scarce resources with poor results in reducing crime, when modest investments in under-resourced communities would have greater positive effects in reducing offending, as well as producing wider social benefits.

To this end, IPRT is campaigning for a shift in justice resources to prevention and early intervention, in other words: "Shifting Focus: from Criminal Justice to Social Justice."

The case for this shift is strong: as the exhaustive work of bodies like the Washington State Institute for Public Policy shows, there are endless benefits to be gained from taking more constructive approaches to both adult and youth offending. A focus on the underlying difficulties – mental health, addiction, educational disadvantage, poverty – is demonstrably more likely to be effective in addressing the dreadful human cost of crime.

Moreover, against the backdrop of enormous, increasing and endless expenditure on prisons and the criminal justice system as a whole, the case for shifting even a proportion of these resources to a social justice model is undeniable – especially when coupled with the ineffectiveness of the current approach. As research has shown, when specific programmes reduce offending, as well as lessening the social harm of crime, they also save money for the State.

Shifting Focus_coverWe have been gathering the proof that prevention and early intervention works here.

See also our Shifting Focus campaign section.

Punishing cuts to preventative services will exacerbate unfairness of criminal justice system, warns IPRT

2nd February 2012

MEDIA ADVISORY: Ireland’s system of punishment impacts disproportionately on socially excluded communities, and cuts to key preventative services in the community will exacerbate crime rates. Instead, Government must ring-fence resources for policy interventions that address social marginalisation, and thereby reduce crime.

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.

UK: Programme Reducing Gang Violence in Glasgow

5th July 2011

A co-ordinated programme between community, police and other groups in Glasgow has significantly reduced gang violence according to a new report released by the Violence Reduction Unity in the UK.

'What's Working for Children' conference highlights prevention and early intervention

12th May 2011

Speakers at the 'Whats Working for Children' conference emphasised that early intervention and evidence-based programmes are key to improving outcomes for at-risk children and saving money for the taxpayer in the longer term

UK: Improving Services for Young People - an economic perspective

29th March 2011

A new report published today in the UK highlights the economic benefits of providing young people aged 16-25 with sufficient supports so that they can improve their lives.

Limerick: Need for early intervention highlighted by sociologist

24th March 2011

In an interview on RTÉ Radio One, Niamh Hourigan, sociologist, identifies an urgent need for early intervention amongst children in disadvantaged areas in Limerick.

Ballymun Youth Action Project: Support and intervention needed for children of addicts

24th March 2011

At a conference in Dublin, the Ballymun Youth Action Project called for increased support for the children of drug users, and greater community involvement in tackling the problem of drugs.

(UK) Teenage Kicks: The Value of Sport in Tackling Youth Crime

21st March 2011

A new report from New Philanthropy Capital demonstrates that sport can be a powerful tool for tackling crime and anti-social behaviour among young people.

Barnardos: Response to Programme for Government

8th March 2011

Barnardos has called for the new Programme for Government to reflect the Government's responsibility and duty to the children of Ireland, with emphasis on prevention and early intervention.

UK: Specialist Drug and Alcohol Treatment for Young People - A Cost Benefit Analysis

24th February 2011

The Department for Education in the UK have published a report into the possible benefits of treating young people for substance misuse.

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

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