About 1,000 children in the Republic have been identified as being at risk of becoming involved in very serious crime. These include minors being groomed by organised gangs, according to a Government juvenile crime strategy to be published on Friday states. The new draft Youth Justice Strategy for the period 2020 to 2026 – to be published by Minister of State David Stanton today – sets out new ways of reaching at-risk children much earlier. This includes those under the age of 12, those being coerced by organised crime gangs and young children at risk of being radicalised. Instead of interventions being made by the Garda Youth Diversion programme after children commit crime, the latest plan would seek to reach at-risk children at a younger age and before they offend.

Source: The Irish Times May 01, 2020 01:18 UTC