2153. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to provide the number of participants in each initiative currently operated by or within the Irish Prison Service, the Probation Service, the Parole Board and the Garda Youth Diversion Programme which are designed to address violent behaviour, raise awareness of the impact of physical assaults on victims and families, promote non-violence and reduce reoffending from the most recent year for which figures are available, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59949/26]

2216. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to provide details of any programmes, education initiatives, behavioural interventions or awareness campaigns currently operated by or within the Irish Prison Service, the Probation Service, the Parole Board and the Garda Youth Diversion Programme which are designed to address violent behaviour, raise awareness of the impact of physical assaults on victims and families, promote non-violence and reduce reoffending; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59946/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 2153 and 2216 together.

This Government has, in recent years, significantly increased the funding for youth justice initiatives. The budget allocation for youth justice measures has almost doubled from 2020 to 2026. Following a significant increase of €7.3 million in additional core exchequer funding as part of Budget 2026, the total allocation for youth justice measures is now €43 million.

The Government’s focus on diversion and early interventions is a keystone in the Youth Justice Strategy 2021-2027. The strategy emphasises early intervention, prevention, family support and community engagement. It is aimed at promoting positive behavioural change and targeting this behaviour so that we can break the cycle of offending by young people.

Part 4 of the Children Act 2001 provides the statutory basis for the Garda Youth Diversion Programme. The intention of this programme is to divert children, aged 12-17 years old, who have engaged in criminal or anti-social behaviour away from the criminal justice system and towards more positive pro-social behaviour and life choices. Young people who are deemed suitable by the Director of the Garda Youth Diversion Programme are referred to local youth diversion projects, where, in collaboration with a Garda Juvenile Liaison Officer, these projects provide supports to children to address their behaviour, engage in positive self-development, and connect with their communities.

While there has been an approximate 25% increase in the population of 12-17 year olds over the past ten years, I am advised that the number or children coming to the attention of the Garda National Youth Diversion Bureau has remained steady, pointing to an actual reduction in youth offending. I am advised that between 2012 and 2022, there has been a drop in total criminal incidents involving children of 35% and a reduction of 31% in the number of children in detention over the past ten years.

With the official opening of POINT YDP on 18th June 2026, youth diversion is available to all children and young people across the country. There are currently 92 youth diversion projects and 4 targeted youth diversion projects across the country that are funded by my Department. In 2025, these youth diversion projects and targeted youth diversion projects engaged with 4,786 young persons. Details of the projects and participant numbers are contained in Table 1. The locations of 2 specialist targeted YDPs are excluded in Table 1 for confidentiality, to protect the identity of the young people engaged in their services.

The department, in collaboration with the Probation Service, also operates a number of initiatives distinctly designed to address serious and prolific youth offending for those who may be deemed unsuitable for diversion, these are: the Greentown Programme, the Bail Supervision Scheme and targeted interventions for children who are harder to reach in terms of addressing prolific and serious offending. The Department also funds specialised Youth Justice Workers and Programmes in youth diversion projects catering to Early Intervention, Family Support and Harder-to-Reach, serious and prolific young offenders.

Within the Irish Prison Service, I am advised that measures to prevent and manage violence include early intervention, rehabilitation and multidisciplinary responses within individual prisons. The Irish Prison Service Psychology Service provides specialist, proactive interventions for people convicted of general and sexual violence, young people at increased risk of recidivism, people serving life sentences, and people convicted of violent offences who are serving sentences of more than two years.

The Psychology Service provides primary and secondary care mental health interventions, alongside assessment and intervention for people presenting with neurodivergence, histories of trauma and personality difficulties. Irish Prison Service Healthcare and Merchants Quay Ireland also provide healthcare and addiction interventions, including opioid agonist treatment (OAT) and addiction counselling. The National Forensic Mental Health Service provides specialist psychiatric care to people in custody experiencing major mental illness. Collectively, these services address a range of factors that may contribute to the risk, occurrence or management of violent behaviour and support broader rehabilitation and efforts to reduce re-offending. I am advised that 2,786 individuals were referred in 2025 to the Irish Prison Service Psychology Service, across all interventions, of whom 1,619 were seen for intervention.

The Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) is a voluntary organisation comprising trained volunteers from within prisons and the wider community. Teams deliver workshops in Irish prisons aimed at helping participants build better relationships and develop ways of resolving conflict without resorting to violence. During 2025, I am advised that AVP delivered 43 full workshops across 11 prisons, accounting for 402 participations. A further 11 support sessions were delivered across 10 prisons, accounting for 93 participations and encompassing taster, debrief and refresher sessions.

The Traveller Mediation Service (TMS) is a partnership initiative supported by Restorative Justice in the Community and funded by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality. It provides mediation and conflict-skills training within the community, including mediation between Travellers, and between Travellers, agencies and the Settled Community. I am advised that since establishment, the peer-mediation programme has worked with 412 people in custody, with 160 participants attending the programme in 2025.

The National Violence Reduction Unit (NVRU), based in the Midlands Prison, accommodates some of the most complex and high-risk men in custody with significant histories of violence. It is a psychologically informed, co-led unit specifically designed to reduce and manage violence. The capacity of the unit is 9 and there are currently 9 prisoners accommodated on the unit.

The Irish Prison Service also operates a number of other initiatives that contribute to violence prevention. The Community-Based Health and First Aid (CBHFA) programme, which has operated since 2009, uses trained peer volunteers to deliver health and wellbeing initiatives within prisons. In 2025, 272 CBHFA volunteers implemented 252 projects addressing areas including mental health, anti-bullying, violence prevention and health awareness. The Irish Prison Service has also established a Violence Management Steering Group in 2025. The Group aims to reduce violence in all its forms across the prison estate and to ensure that effective prevention and response mechanisms are in place.

Given the breadth of these interventions, and the extent to which violence prevention and reduction are embedded within wider clinical, rehabilitative and multidisciplinary work, the IPS have advised that it is not possible to provide a single accurate figure representing the total number of people who engaged in work specifically directed towards all of the objectives referenced in the Deputy’s question.

I am further advised that with regard to the Probation Service, work was undertaken with 17,686 people in the community. At every level of engagement, the focus on re-offending and the impact of crime on victims is paramount. In addition to this, Probation Service-funded Community Based Organisations work alongside the Service to provide a diverse range of services, addressing offending behaviour while supporting sustainable change and reintegration. These services and participant numbers are contained in the attached Table 2.