Alliances in Tackling the Roots of Crime

The Probation Service liaises with the Department of Justice to:

• carry out assessment and home circumstances reports for the Parole Board;
• provide supervision in the community for life sentence prisoners and those serving sentences over seven years and granted temporary release by the Minister for Justice (subject to Probation Service supervision);
• produce reports for the Minister for Justice as required in applications under the Repatriation of Prisoners Acts, 1995 and 1997; and
• provide expertise, information and advice in response to requests on relevant issues and enquiries from the Department, as required

JARC

JARC, which stands for the Joint Agency Response to Crime is one of the most concrete examples of partnership work involving the Probation Service.

It was set up in November 2014 as a joint initiative of the Probation Service, the Irish Prisons Service and An Garda Síochána, the key stakeholders at the 'coalface' in tackling offending behaviour.

The aim of this project in particular is to tackle repeat offenders and find out why they are offending, with the ultimate goal of reducing crime. It’s estimated that 75% of burglaries are caused by 25% of offenders.

JARC feeds into anti-burglar crackdown 'Operation Thor’, and works by sharing resources and communications between the different agencies; co-ordinating and integrating policy, practice and research.

Its key aims are to:

• Develop and further strengthen a multi-agency approach to the management of crime;
• Prioritise particular, nominated, offenders in order to develop initiatives which will address their behaviour;
• Reduce crime and increase public safety in local communities

A number of joint agency initiatives have been established on a pilot basis under the strategy:

• The STRIVE Ballymun initiative works as a sort of 'trade-off' between the offender and agencies - and focuses on those causing a high level of harm in a particular area of East Ballymun.

Under the initiative, the service user agrees to stay away from crime and have their needs met through supports from local agencies - or face a higher level of intervention into their lifestyle - something which would disrupt their criminal behaviour.

The other two key initiatives have begun to address the behaviour of identified prolific offenders:

• The Bridge Project 'Change Works' Programme is an 18 to 24-month Dublin-based programme which focuses on violent and persistent offenders assessed as likely to cause serious harm. Among the elements of this project's strategy is a demanding community-based probation supervision programme.
• ACER 3: is a multi-agency approach to the management of identified offenders who have been convicted or charged with burglary offences from the Dublin 8 and Tallaght areas. For more information on ACER, visit: Joint Irish Prison Service and Probation Service Strategic Plan 2015-2017

The three pillars of JARC will work closely with community agencies to address the pathways that lead to offending.

Offending behaviour does not exist in a vacuum. Research shows it usually arises out a range of factors and circumstances, including alcohol and/or drug addiction and social deprivation. For example, recent studies show that 89% of the adult population on probation supervision had misused drugs and/or alcohol either at the time of the survey, or in the past. In working toward our ultimate goal of a safer society through offender rehabilitation, The Probation Service acts as a vital link in the network of organisations, state and community who work together to address these problems in cities and towns nationwide - and in other jurisdictions.

Drugs

The Probation Service is represented on Local and Regional Drugs Task Force and National Drugs Task Forces, assisting in developing and evaluating new initiatives to combat addiction as it contributes to crime.

Garda Síochána Diversion Projects

The Probation Service participates in the management of many Garda Síochána Diversion Projects in the delivery of effective services to the communities where the service works closely with the Garda and other services. Garda Juvenile Diversion Programme and Garda Youth Diversion Projects

RAPID (Revitalising Areas by Planning Investment and Development) We are represented on many RAPID, County Development and Community Partnership boards. The programme gives priority attention to 51 of the most disadvantaged areas in the country by focusing available resources. The programme also requires Government Departments and state agencies to bring about better co-ordination and closer integration in the delivery of services.

Research completed by the Probation Service in 2011 detailed that 89% of the adult offender population on probation supervision had misused drugs and/or alcohol either currently (at the time of the survey) or in the past.

71 % of alcohol misusing offenders had their misuse linked to the current offence committed. It is of note that almost half of the offenders within the survey had undergone treatment in the past.

Homelessness

We are also represented on and participate in the work of the Cross Department Team on Homelessness, the The Homeless Agency and local Homeless Fora, as well as a range of multi-agency initiatives working to address the special difficulties of homelessness and offending.

Domestic Violence

The Probation Service takes part in Regional and National Domestic Violence Committees to address domestic violence and the harm it does in families and communities, in addition to working with individual offenders and providing support to services aimed at reducing offending and its consequences. For more information visit Cosc.

We also work with a variety of partner agencies and Community Based Organisations. The Probation Service pays over a third of its annual budget to these agencies and to CBOs who partner us in working with offenders and provide a range of valuable services and programmes that help us do our work.

Confederation of European Probation CEP (Conférence Permanente Européenne de la Probation)

The Probation Service is a longstanding and founding member of the CEP.

CEP aims to promote the social inclusion of offenders through community sanctions and measures such as probation, community service, mediation and conciliation. The organisation is committed to enhance the profile of probation and to improve professionalism in this field, on a national and a European level.

The Probation Service complies with guidelines and participates in consultations of the Council of Europe and the United Nations in the Management of Community Sanctions and our work with in Courts.

The Probation Service Director, Vivian Geiran, was recently been elected as Chair of the Council of Europe (CoE) working group on penological (probation and prisons) co-operation - Council for Penological Co-operation the PC-CP. He will hold the position of Chair for a two-year term.

The PC-CP comprises nine expert members elected through the plenary meeting of the CoE Committee on Crime Problems, the CDPC. Each elected member sits on the working group for two years, renewable for a second two-year term. Current PC-CP members are from Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Switzerland and Ireland, and from a variety of professional backgrounds, including probation, prisons, justice administration, legal and related fields. There is also a permanent secretariat in the CoE. The group meets in Strasbourg four times a year.

The Probation Service has established strong links with the Probation Board for Northern Ireland and with other Probation Services throughout Europe and the World.

One of the key elements of the Criminal Justice Review in Northern Ireland conducted in 2000, was the promotion of improved cross border co-operation between the two governments and between the criminal justice agencies.

Following the 2005 Agreement on Co-operation on Criminal Justice matters between both Governments, which allows for joint Ministerial meetings on Criminal Justice matters, a working group was established to take forward the recommendations of the Criminal Justice Review. The Group meets regularly to discuss matters of common concern.

Both the Probation Service and the Probation Board of Northern Ireland have developed specific joint initiatives over the years. These include Joint PPAG (Public Protection Advisory Group) Seminars rotated between both Services, to address issues of mutual concern and common learning. Senior Management from both Services meet regularly and a joint publication – the Irish Probation Journal is published each year

European Social Funding 2014 - 2020 for Community Based Organisations

The European Social Fund (ESF) provides the European Union with the financial means to invest in people. The current round of funding will run from 2014 to 2020 during which Ireland will have received more than €500 million in assistance from the European Social Fund.

The Probation Service secured co-funding for five Community Based Organisations through the European Social Fund Programme for Employability Inclusion and Learning 2014 - 2020.

The allocation of the funding is subject to a number of conditions as outlined in the EU circulars. These circulars can be found on the ESF website (www.esf.ie).

Council of Europe and the United Nations

The Probation Service complies with guidelines and participates in consultations of the Council of Europe and the United Nations in the management of community sanctions and in our work in courts, prisons and communities.

Council for Penological Co-operation

Legislation relevant to Probation

Probation Board of Northern Ireland

Irish Probation Journal

www.esf.ie

Conférence Permanente Européenne de la Probation