Suspended sentences should not be used on juvenile offenders says new report 

The report, by the Law Reform Commission, has recommended that the current ban on courts handing down suspended sentences to young offenders should not be lifted.

The LRC said there are fundamental differences between the objectives of a period of detention for child offenders and a period of imprisonment for adults. File picture: iStock

Suspended sentences should not be used as an option for sanctioning juvenile offenders, according to the Government’s main advisory body on changes to the law.

A new report by the Law Reform Commission has recommended that the current ban on courts handing down suspended sentences to young offenders should not be lifted.