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<\/p>\nDeputy Director F\u00edona N\u00ed Chinn\u00e9ide says evidence shows alternatives to prison work are successful, but remain underused in Ireland\u2019s criminal justice system\n<\/p>\n
F\u00edona N\u00ed Chinn\u00e9ide, Deputy Director of Prisons and Reintegration, believes this must change. Speaking about the national probation strategy and its local implementation, she emphasises a simple but powerful idea: \u201cProbation at our core is belief in people\u2019s capacity for positive change, but what is important is that this is based on evidence, and an evidence-informed approach. Data tells us it works.\u201d<\/p>\n
Data on reoffending from the Central Statistics Office shows that individuals given community service orders are the least likely to reoffend, with a reoffending rate of just 23 per cent, compared to 30 per cent for general probation and higher for prison sentences.<\/p>\n
Yet, according to Ms N\u00ed Chinn\u00e9ide, the potential of this sanction is far from being maximised. Three reviews conducted over 2021 to 2024 showed that community service is a sanction that is underutilised and it\u2019s potential is not being maximised.<\/p>\n
A judge considering imposing a sentence of imprisonment can order a community service report for suitability to be carried out by the probation service. The judge can then order a minimum of 40 hours or a maximum 240 hours unpaid work which must be completed within 12-months for the benefit of the community.<\/p>\n
Since 2011 judges must consider community service in lieu of a prison sentence of 12-months or less, however since this legislation there are falling rates of community service orders.<\/p>\n
A new legislative proposal aims to reverse that trend. The Justice Minister aims to introduce legislation increasing the limit to 480 hours unpaid work and also increase time in which done to two years to encourage the use of community service order for more serious offences. F\u00edona believes \u201charm is committed in a community so community payback is important”.<\/p>\n
Community service is important to consider when you have a first time offender who is employed, has a house, with no social issues and in these circumstances community service rather than imprisonment is less damaging. On the other hand when sentencing individuals from a background of social exclusion, addiction, and intergenerational employment community service can offer a straight route out of crime and helps these individuals experience structure.<\/p>\n
In 2024 alone, over 22,000 hours of unpaid work were carried out by people on community service across Ireland, contributing an estimated \u20ac2.5 million worth of labour to the public good. The projects range from graffiti removal and gardening, to working with charities and local services.<\/p>\n
There are 50 community service supervisors in all counties, with more in Dublin and Cork, that oversee the work. These supervisors work closely with clients for eight hours a day modelling prosocial behaviour and teaching various skills which is a big aspect of community service.<\/p>\n
A range of community service work can be undertaken but the majority are group sites. One case in Cavan seen community service clients create a garden in an Alzheimer\u2019s residential centre the residents were so pleased with the work carried out they asked for their chairs to be rearranged to so they could watch the work being done.<\/p>\n
There is also graffiti bus in Cork and Dublin which works on removing graffiti in a number of different places in one day. Individual placements are also an option as the probation services are keen to have a diversity of community services placements which are culturally appropriate. There is great consideration taken to ensure the placement suits a person.<\/p>\n
Around 50 per cent of people released from Irish prisons are supervised on probation.<\/p>\n
Of those, the reoffending rate is just 18 per cent, and the majority of these reoffences are minor, such as public order or road traffic offences. Prior to release, individuals undergo a risk assessment using the \u201cRisk-Need-Responsivity\u201d model.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The EPIC workshop in the Cornmarket Project in Wexford. <\/p>\n
This considers both static risks (which cannot be changed such as reoffending history) and dynamic risks (which can be changed like addiction), alongside personal needs like housing or mental health supports. An offence focused case management plan is then formed focusing on the interventions needed such as anger management or emotional regulation. The probation services focus on offence analysis and working with the offender on the impact of the harm caused.<\/p>\n
An increasingly valued part of the reintegration process is restorative justice, a process that allows victims to engage with offenders in a structured, voluntary setting.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe expectation is not necessarily to mend the relationship but is more about allowing the injured party to ask questions and discuss the impact it had on them\u201d Ms N\u00ed Chinn\u00e9ide says. Restorative justice is more focused on closure and Ms N\u00ed Chinn\u00e9ide added \u201cit certainly has been proven those who choose restorative justice routes have very high victim satisfaction levels.\u201d<\/p>\n
Restorative justice services are now available in every county, including through the Cornmarket Project in Wexford, and are supported by a new three-year strategy from the Department of Justice.<\/p>\n
Despite these promising tools, Ms N\u00ed Chinn\u00e9ide is clear that reducing reoffending isn\u2019t only about sanctions. It\u2019s about addressing the underlying issues that drive criminal behaviour, many of which lie outside the justice system. She points to stark statistics: 81 per cent of people on probation have a history of drug or alcohol misuse, of this population individuals with an addiction to both drugs and alcohol was 50 per cent, whereas 17 per cent was drug only and 14 per cent alcohol only.<\/p>\n
There is also a very high percentage of mental health issues to consider relating to probation clients with approximately double the prevalence of mental health issues in relation to the general public with women on probation particularly affected.<\/p>\n
Homelessness is another major concern. \u201cThe difficulties accessing stable and safe accommodation both coming out of prison and on probation is affecting all of society\u201d she notes. \u201cSometimes, the experience of being homeless itself makes an individual more likely to commit public order offences.\u201d<\/p>\n
Recognising these systemic issues, the Department of Justice is working closely with the Department of Health on a joint task force. The project entitled Community Access Support Team (CAST) is a partnership between An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na and Mental Health Services HSE Mid West and was rolled out in the Limerick Garda Division during late 2024. The project comprises of intervention, prevention and outreach with the potential to yield a better outcome for persons experiencing a mental health crisis or situational trauma.<\/p>\n
The CAST team is be based at Henry Street Garda Station and will aim to reduce future presentations and interactions with Garda\u00ed or other blue light emergency services, through community follow-ups and the case management of complex cases.<\/p>\n
While prison remains necessary in many cases, Ms N\u00ed Chinn\u00e9ide highlights that short custodial sentences, particularly those under 12 months, often do more harm than good. \u201cOver 3,000 people each year are sent to prison for less than 12 months,\u201d she says. \u201cWe would like to see those numbers reversed. We want safer communities, and effective punishment has to consider what happens next. Because when people don\u2019t reoffend we all benefit, fewer crimes mean fewer victims.\u201d<\/p>\n
With rising pressure on all parts of the criminal justice system, probation services have seen a 10 per cent increase in staffing, a welcome step, but one that still requires further investment.<\/p>\n
Ultimately it would appear that the key to reducing crime lies not just in stronger enforcements and harsher punishments, but in stronger communities and smarter justice.<\/p>\n
Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Deputy Director F\u00edona N\u00ed Chinn\u00e9ide says evidence shows alternatives to prison work are successful, but remain underused in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":222427,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[72,61,60,34634],"class_list":["post-222426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-megan-farrell"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222426","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=222426"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222426\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/222427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=222426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=222426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=222426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}