PART 4: FORMAL AND INFORMAL SUPPORTS
Garda Juvenile Diversion Programme Referrals
The Diversion Programme has proven to be highly successful in diverting young people away from crime by offering guidance and support to juveniles and their families. 65 The young people involved noted that the projects facilitated the creation of positive, trusting and supportive relationships with adults and also provided them with alternative leisure, creative and developmental opportunities. 66
Measure
The number of children referred to the
Garda Juvenile Diversion Programme.
|
Key findings
- In 2007, a total of 21,861 children aged 10-17 were referred to the Garda Juvenile Diversion Programme (see Table 98). It should be noted that the number of referrals does not correspond to the number of children since some children were referred more than once.
- In 2007, there were 27,767 referrals to the Garda Juvenile Diversion Programme, a rate of 1.3 referrals per child referred.
Table 98: Number of children within the jurisdiction referred to Garda Juvenile Diversion Programme,
by Garda Division and gender (2007)
| Garda Division | Boys | Girls | Total |
| Dublin Metropolitan Region | 5,705 | 1,400 | 7,105 |
| Southern Region | 3,502 | 858 | 4,360 |
| Eastern Region | 2,859 | 584 | 3,443 |
| South Eastern Region | 2,180 | 539 | 2,719 |
| Western Region | 1,799 | 437 | 2,236 |
| Northern Region | 1,682 | 316 | 1,998 |
| Total number of children | 17,727 | 4,134 | 21,861 |
| Total number of referrals | 22,967 | 4,800 | 27,767 |
| Children referred as % of 10-17 age group | 7.7 | 1.9 | 4.9 |
Source: An Garda Síochána
Differences by gender and age
- In 2007 in the State as a whole, 18.9% (4,134) of children referred to the Garda Juvenile Diversion Programme were female (see Table 98). This proportion was quite stable between the Garda Divisions.
- In 2007, the rate of referral for children aged 10-17 to the Garda Juvenile Diversion Programme was 621 referrals per 10,000 children in that age group (see Figure 38). The highest referral rate was in the age group 15-17, with 1,231 referrals per 10,000 persons in that age group. This age group represented just over three-quarters of all referrals to the programme in 2007.
Figure 38: Referrals to the Garda Juvenile Diversion Programme, by age (2007)
Source: An Garda Síochána
- Alcohol-related offences were the single highest cause of referrals to the Garda Juvenile Diversion Programme in 2007, representing 19.9% of all referrals (see Figure 39). Traffic offences and theft accounted for a further 15.8% and 15.2% of referrals respectively. Only 3.5% of referrals were for possession of drugs.
Figure 39: Percentage of referrals to the Garda Juvenile Diversion Programme, by type of offence (2007)
Source: An Garda Síochána
Technical notes
Table 98 shows the number of children referred to the Garda Juvenile Diversion Programme in the reference year. Figures 38 and 39 show the number of referrals to the programme. A child may have more than one referral in the reference year; therefore the number of referrals exceeds the number of children referred. In 2007, 21,861 children were referred to the Diversion Programme, while the total number of referrals was 27,767.
65 Centre for Social and Educational Research (2001) Study of Participants in Garda Special Projects, Dublin: The Stationery Office.
66 Bowden, M. and Higgins, L. (2000) The Impact and Effectiveness of the Garda Special Projects: Final Report to the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Dublin: Children's Research Centre, Trinity College Dublin.