Restorative caution programme for young offenders is collapsing

Aimed at under-18s guilty of offences from theft to rape, diversion programme cautions have fallen from 1,000 to 72 in four years

Fears of re-traumatising victims and a lack of funding are among the causes of the collapse of aspects of the crime diversion programme. Picture: Denis Minihane

A new report outlines the collapse in restorative cautions issued to young offenders, and shows a 178% annual increase in the number of rapes perpetrated by those under the age of 18.

The annual report of the committee appointed to monitor the effectiveness of the diversion programme shows that, in 2018, just 72 restorative cautions were applied — down from 477 in 2017, and almost 1,000 in 2014.