State is failing young people caught up in crime, with Oberstown at breaking point we need early intervention changes

The Irish Sun

25-04-2025

IRELAND'S prison system is bursting at the seams, with inmates left sleeping on floors.
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Overcrowding in Oberstown has resulted in some teenage criminals being let off after being convicted
Credit: Collins Photo Agency
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Dublin TD Mark Ward said that early intervention is key to tackling youth crime
Credit: Damien Eagers - The Sun Dublin
This overcrowding crisis is mirrored in the country's only prison for young offenders at Oberstown in
The facility has a max capacity of 40 boys and six girls. But figures show almost every month last year it was overcrowded, with 54 kids incarcerated in May and 53 in December.
Oberstown is under so much pressure that officials are considering the possibility of trying to add a number of cells into the existing building.
The overcrowding in Oberstown has resulted in some teenage criminals being let off after being convicted because there is no prison space for them.
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Dublin TD Mark Ward believes the Government needs to target resources at communities most affected by crime in order to tackle the issue from the bottom up.
Here, Deputy Ward tells of the real impact of overcrowding in Oberstown in his constituency and what he believes needs to help prevent teens ending up in a life of crime.
THE state is failing our young people by not resourcing communities most affected by crime.
Early intervention is key to tackling youth crime and to give young people a chance to succeed in society.
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Young people turn to crime for a myriad of underlying social reasons, including poverty, lack of local services, and lack of opportunities.
I have raised this on many occasions on the floor of the
Their communities need to be funded, particularly to build resilience to criminality. If a young person is groomed into criminality, then there must be sufficient intervention services to assist them away from this.
CRIME ROOT CAUSES NOT ADDRESSED
Unfortunately, there is not enough emphasis on stopping repeat offending. The root causes of crime are not being addressed. The Irish Penal Reform Trust have highlighted the benefits of the Bail Supervision Scheme.
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The Bail Supervision Scheme gives the
This consists of multi-disciplinary teams going into the home of the young person, finding out what their issues are and working with them to address them.
I have followed up with the Minister in relation to this service, to ask the levels of funding and the impact the service is having.
Restorative justice is another path to reducing crime by young people. This process allows the victim of a crime to speak with the perpetrator of the crime, alongside an independent professional.
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RESTORATIVE JUSTICE
An open conversation can help both the victim and the perpetrator to understand the motives but also the impact that it has on a victim. It humanises the victim. Evidence has stated restorative justice practices will encourage young people to not reoffend.
Dr Ian Marder, Associate Professor in Criminology at Maynooth University, has highlighted that referrals to restorative justice for 2023 had not reached their pre-pandemic levels.
I have received parliamentary question responses that show this decline between 2019 and 2023. 2024 data is being correlated and I would like to see these numbers increase.
This, alongside other youth diversion programmes such as targeted outreach models, are a way forward in reducing repeat offences.
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The alternative to the above interventions is youth detention, and while this is what is needed for serious crimes, we know that this is not only costly, but also not the most effective way at reducing repeat offending.
The capacity in the Oberstown
HIGH COST OF DETENTION
Prime Time last month highlighted that there is a daily cost of €1,700 per young person to detain them in Oberstown. Imagine if this money was invested in those young people within their communities, to fund local services, youth groups, sports clubs. We need to target young people where they live and provide them with positive options for their lives.
I am aware of incidents in my community where a young offender was sentenced to Oberstown but that the detention centre was at capacity. The young person was sent back to their community, with no support, and allowed to reoffend.
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This impacts the morale of my community, and also the local
The
MOORE NEEDS TO BE DONE
More needs to be done to build resilience in our communities to tackle the causes of crime. It is important the areas of highest disadvantage are funded to be the most resilient to crime.
The state needs to listen to services on the frontline, resource them and allow them to build resilience in our communities.
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The building blocks for a fully functional youth justice strategy are there, it just requires the political will to put it all together.
Young people and their communities deserve it.