Troubled youths likely to come from families with drink and crime problems

TEENAGERS who are part of Garda schemes to help divert them away from crime are likely to be from families where there is alcohol abuse, a history of criminal activity and ineffective parenting.

A comprehensive report published by Irish Youth Justice Service last year took an in-depth look at all 100 Garda diversion projects around the country.

According to the research, A Baseline Analysis of the Garda Youth Diversion Projects, 36 projects reported that a significant percentage of young people lived in families where a family member — usually an elder brother or father — had previous involvement with the criminal justice system or had been in prison. 37 projects reported that a significant number of parents had problematic drugs and/or alcohol use, while 11 reported young people experienced high levels of violence at home involving attacks mainly, but not exclusively, on mothers.