Shifting Focus to the Blindingly Obvious?

20th September 2010

This Thursday, September 23^rd IPRT will host a major conference on the theme “Shifting Focus – From Criminal Justice to Social Justice”.

This event marks an important departure for IPRT in beginning to look more deeply at the social context for crime and at the links between crime policy and social policy. 

At the centre of IPRT’s work has always been our commitment to the idea of imprisonment as a measure of last resort. Up until now this has meant a focus on alternative ways for the criminal justice system to deal with offenders by creating opportunities for diversion. However, it has become increasingly clear to IPRT that, if we are really serious as a society in addressing crime, then we need to look at the role of agencies outside the criminal justice system who can deal with the causes behind criminal behaviour. 

"This might all seem blindingly obvious, but what we are calling for here requires a fundamental rethinking of how policy and services are designed, planned and budgeted."

The Conference will hear from leading international expert Lesley McAra and TCD’s Paul O’Mahony about the links between criminal justice and social policy and from NUI Galway’s UNESCO Professor Pat Dolan about how we might configure “joined-up” goals for Irish social policy. A significant part of the conference will be dedicated to hearing from practitioners working in discrete areas of policy which can be demonstrated to directly impact on crime and imprisonment, such as educational disadvantage, substance misuse and mental health.  

The idea at the centre of this initiative is simple: there is a growing body of international evidence that shifting society’s response to crime towards prevention and early intervention works and will pay dividends. What we need is a shift to a system that emphasises prevention; and one that is based on evidence around what interventions and investment will produce the best outcomes, for the individual and for society. Along, with our partners – Barnardos and IAYPIC – IPRT commissioned a literature review of the available evidence in this regard and this will be published this week. A joint IPRT, Barnardos and IAYPIC policy document will also be launched this week identifying some of the practical areas of Irish social policy where such an approach should be directed, including existing deficiencies in primary healthcare, drug treatment, educational disadvantage and child protection. 

This might all seem blindingly obvious, but what we are calling for here requires a fundamental rethinking of how policy and services are designed, planned and budgeted. It will take real political courage to move to a more long-term outlook on the costs and benefits of social policy, but if that courage is shown the kind of shift we are talking about will deliver huge economic and social dividends for future generations. All in all, on September 23^rd IPRT is hoping to start a new conversation around penal policy and its links to broader social policy – we are not under any illusions of the size of the task we are setting ourselves, but every journey begins with a small step...