Budget for youth justice rises by €14m in four years

The budget for youth justice initiatives has grown by €14 million over the past four years. In 2022, the annual budget stood at nearly €28 million. This funding increase follows heightened public attention on the repercussions of children participating in criminal activities. Currently, Ireland has 92 Youth Diversion Projects and four Targeted Youth Diversion projects.

Youth Diversion Programmes (YDPs) are community-based crime prevention initiatives aimed at diverting young individuals, aged 12 to 17, who have committed a crime or are at risk of committing one. Around 4,500 children were part of a youth diversion project in 2024. Dr Eoin O Meara Daly, a University of Limerick academic specializing in youth justice, explained that the objective of YDPs is to keep young people out of the formalized justice system as much as possible.

YDP workers offer one-on-one support to at-risk youth within community organizations. Chloe Timmons, a youth justice worker in Mayo, emphasized the challenge of quantifying the success of these projects, as they aim to prevent future crimes rather than reducing existing ones. The effectiveness of YDPs is attributed to their voluntary nature, which allows for softer interventions that are more effective for most children.

These interventions aim to build relationships with young people, teach accountability, and provide positive alternatives to offending.