Cork crime: Irish Examiner study shows calls to get 'tough' on crime are illogical

Poverty, trauma and addiction play a significant part of the story of crime in Cork, write Orla Lynch, James Windle, and Katharina Swirak

Understanding how crime in Cork intersects with the geography of the city, and how stigma and discrimination are linked to certain communities is key in order to identify mechanisms to address the root causes of criminality in the region.

Crime features heavily in our everyday life. Crime and criminality is routinely reported in the media, politicians regularly speak about ‘getting tough’ on crime, and arguably we have a national obsession with crime dramas and documentaries.

However, the reality of crime is less about serial killers and dramatic kidnappings and more about poverty, trauma and addiction. That is not to say that all crime can be explained by reference to these factors, but they are a significant part of the story of crime in Cork.

The court data collated by the Irish Examiner exposes the harsh reality of crime in Cork. Overall, it reflects exactly the type of issues that are documented in criminological research globally: predominantly male repeat offenders, originating from areas besieged by poverty, a prevalence of mental health issues, (poly)addiction and homelessness. 

 

You can read the entire three-day Cork Crime series in the 'Irish Examiner' in print and ePaper and online here. 

A far cry from the sensationalist crime drama we consume on a daily basis, the data highlights the relationship between crime and the neglect of areas of our city, the lack of housing, failing mental health services, the absence of comprehensive holistic addiction services, and limited youth support programmes.

In light of this, calls to be ‘tough’ on crime, or to increase prison sentences are exposed as illogical. Prisons are seldom rehabilitative, but a prison sentence may provide some respite from the chaos of life on the streets or access to addiction and mental health services unavailable in the community. 

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That people must go to prison for services which should be available in the community is a damning indictment of our community-based support services. Compounding the problem, individuals in prison are routinely released, after serving short sentences, to unsuitable accommodation and limited suitable community support services.

Understanding the circumstances and backgrounds of individuals convicted of crime is important in order to develop meaningful interventions, but this does not mean that the harms caused to the victims should go unacknowledged. 

The impact of being a victim of crime is not to be underestimated; it can be life-changing. Having to engage with the criminal justice system as a victim or a witness can also be difficult and retraumatising. The needs of victims are often neglected and their experiences sidelined, even though their rights are defined in the Victims of Crime Act 2017. 

However, understanding the origins of crime remains important for victims namely because it goes some way to preventing further victimisation, but it also helps individuals impacted by crime make meaning of what happened to them.

In an effort to understand offending, criminological research describes some root causes of crime that are similar internationally, but also notes there are sometimes local or hyper-local drivers of crime (e.g. gang feuding). 

Drivers of crime in Cork

Reinforcing the findings of the Irish Examiner data, recent research in Cork identified addiction as a key driver of criminal activity. Therefore, somewhat self-evidently, preventing crime requires the provision of addiction support services, and mechanisms to reduce problematic drug use. 

Because addiction emerges from a range of issues, including childhood trauma, a family history of addiction, deprivation etc, prevention also requires addressing under-education, unemployment, poverty, housing and parenting support. 

Engaging in crime prevention is often less about stopping crime and more about supporting individuals to build capacity to function effectively across all domains of life.

Importantly, crime cannot be understood solely by focusing on the individual engaging in criminal acts. We must understand the broader social and geographic factors. The dynamics of a city can perpetuate or prevent criminal activity, as can a range of social conditions. 

For example, during covid there was a decline in almost all crime rates except for homicides, cybercrimes and intimate partner violence. This was due in part to a lack of opportunity to commit crime, but once restrictions were lifted, the crime rates "rebounded". 

This also points to the stark difference between public and private crimes. Most of those in the Examiner database were arrested for the most visible offences (i.e. traffic crime, assault) but private crimes (i.e. domestic violence and intimate partner violence) which occur within the home can remain hidden.

Inequalities

Criminological research often highlights the influence of inequalities on offending. As we can see from the data, homelessness features prominently in the life stories of individuals involved with the criminal justice system. 

Research points to the relationship between homelessness, addiction, mental ill health and crime by identifying that individuals experiencing these issues are the most likely to be in prison. 

What we do not see directly in the data, but what we know from research, is that persons with offending histories have experienced significant harms themselves - often by neglect and lack of adequate care and support. 

It is also highly likely that the individuals in question have experienced repeat victimisation.

Double standards

Homeless women are especially vulnerable to repeat and multiple victimisation, and the women in prisons in Ireland, like elsewhere, are very likely to have experienced trauma and victimhood prior to incarceration. 

Whilst women are less likely than men to commit certain criminal acts, their experience of the criminal justice system reflects the view society has of women who offend. 

Women who offend are judged more harshly than men when they commit a crime, because they are seen to have violated society’s expectations of women as well as committing a criminal offence.

Criminologists call this double deviance, and we see double standards repeatedly played out in court regarding the sentences handed down to women. 

For example in 2021, 8% of female committals to prison were for non-payment of court-ordered fines, double the comparable figure for men (4%). 

As the only women’s prisons are in Limerick and Dublin (pictured), women with children are dependent on a guardian travelling to bring her children, in some cases, halfway across the country. File picture: Collins, Dublin

The implications for women being sent to prison, most of whom are on short sentences, can be severe – they can lose housing, they can lose custody of their children, and with short sentences, they have no access to meaningful support services. 

Furthermore, as the only women’s prisons are in Limerick and Dublin women with children are dependent on a guardian travelling to bring her children, in some cases, halfway across the country.

The story of crime in Cork is predominantly one of poverty, addiction, homelessness and repeat offending. 

Understanding how this intersects with the geography of the city, and how stigma and discrimination are linked to certain communities is key in order to identify mechanisms to address the root causes of criminality in the region.

• Prof Orla Lynch, James Windle, and Katharina Swirak are with the Department of Criminology, UCC