More than 100 young people who pleaded guilty to public order offences last year were able to avoid a criminal conviction under a new scheme in which they entered into contracts to make charitable donations and to apologise for their actions.
The pilot scheme, known as the Offender Reparation Programme, involved participants from across Dublin who appeared before Tallaght District Court. It was targeted mainly at first-time offenders (44 per cent of offenders were aged between 18 and 20) and aimed to make them more aware of the full consequences of their actions.
The contracts involve offenders agreeing to certain actions such as an apology, a charitable donation, maintaining a journal which focuses on reflection and choices, greater awareness about alcohol abuse or anger management, and commitments to be of good behaviour.
Donations resulted in almost €27,000 being given to national and local charities. Most of the letters of apology have been to arresting gardaí, but also to individuals affected by their crimes.
The offender programme is to be extended to other courts in Dublin by the Restorative Justice Services and the Probation and Welfare Service on foot of the pilot project.
Another scheme which comes under the heading of restorative justice which has been operating recently has been a victim and offender mediation service.
Peter Keeley, director of Restorative Justice Services, said such schemes provided an opportunity for people who were affected by crime to address the issues arising from the offence. "Victims can seek apologies and reparation. They can directly or indirectly address to the offender specific questions or concerns that they have in relation to the crime that was committed against them. They may - in a structured way - vent their anger and frustration and inform an offender of the consequences and impact of their actions," he said.
"Offenders meet their victims to make apology and pay compensation. If there is no identifiable victim, apology and reparation can be made to the community.
"Through contact with the victim or participation in programmes, their awareness and understanding is raised with regard to the impact of their behaviour on victims and the community. They undertake commitments to victims, the community and the Court to desist from future offending."
