Children's group urges Govt to open young offenders centre

The Children's Rights Alliance has said the practice of detaining young offenders at St Patrick's Institution must stop.

The group said St Patrick's is dubbed the "crime school" and the Government must review its decision to postpone the new detention centre in Oberstown, north Co. Dublin.

Spokesperson Tanya Ward said if money can be found for the children’s hospital, then the Government can also find funding to develop a new detention facility.

She said investment now could save money in the long run, and benefit young offenders who are currently stuck in an adult prison regime.

Ms Ward said: "The mattresses are very thin, the sheets are ripped, they have very few clothes, they don't have any lockers for their personal belongings and there are issues around privacy.

"So all of those conditions can have a detrimental impact on the psychological well-being of a young person and that is something that really needs to be looked at."