Targeting the repeat offenders - Reducing crime

It is not before time that Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald has launched a new crime reduction initiative aimed at repeat offenders. While the overwhelming majority of people living in Ireland are law-abiding residents, there are some for whom criminality has become a way of life.

There will always be the one-time offender who makes a singular serious mistake and, depending on the nature and circumstances of the offence, may deserve to be treated leniently in the expectation that he or she will not err again.

The purpose of the criminal law is threefold. Firstly, it is to punish the offender. Secondly, it is meant to act as a deterrent to anyone else contemplating such behaviour. Thirdly, and, perhaps most importantly, it is to protect the community.

In recent years, there has been much criticism of judges granting bail to offenders who then commit offences while free to walk the streets. In some cases, such criticism is justified but the judiciary has to take into account the constitutional provision that, but for exceptional circumstances, anyone may not be deprived of their liberty unless they have been found guilty of an offence that warrants incarceration.

The other problem that has given rise to repeat offending is the lack of prison space which has meant that, in some instances, a convicted criminal may serve far less time in jail than the sentence demands.

The purpose of Ms Fitzgerald’s latest move is to target the most prolific repeat offenders. In doing so, Ms Fitzgerald has chosen a “carrot and stick” approach that will, on one hand, offer rehabilitation to those who genuinely want to reform and, on the other, ensure that the public is protected from career criminals who have no intention of mending their ways.

The Joint Agency Response to Crime will bring gardaí, the Irish Prison Service, and the Probation Service together to target repeat offenders in Dublin. Two programmes will target prolific burglars, a third will target violent criminals, and a fourth will be for general offenders.

According to the Government, repeat offenders are responsible for most crime, with 25% of offenders responsible for 75% of property crime.

That is the statistic but the reality is even more troubling as we enter the long dark nights of winter, which have become the burglary season in recent years.

Under legislation introduced by Ms Fitzgerald in October, repeat burglars could be refused bail. This new development is an advancement on that and is based on pilot schemes carried out recently in Dublin. It hopes to emulate the success of similar projects in Britain, where more than 100 projects now operate.

One worrying aspect of this is that it appears to take little account of rural crime and the devastation that repeated burglaries and robberies can have on people living in the countryside.

This needs to be a truly nationwide campaign to protect all communities — both urban and rural.