Yesterday saw the launch of an evaluation of Le Cheile’s youth restorative justice project in Limerick. This is the first and, as yet, the only non-statutory youth restorative justice scheme running in Ireland. The scheme is available to young persons engaged with the Probation Service.
The evaluation provided very positive findings regarding outcome, with almost €3 return for every €1 spent. The benefits extended beyond the young person, to the families and victims of offences committed by the young person, providing a positive indicator of the holistic benefits of restorative justice as a means of tackling youth crime. Crucially, the young persons experienced the project as better than the traditional mechanisms of the criminal justice system, shoring up the legitimacy and therefore effectiveness of the scheme.
The research was carried out by Quality Matters, and the report was launched by the Director of the Probation Service, Vivian Geiran (read his speech here), Chairperson of UCC’s Child Law Clinic Prof Ursula Kilkelly, and the Mayor of Limerick, Kevin Sheehan.
Read the Executive Summary of the report here.
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