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The Green Party this morning launched
its
crime and justice policy, which focuses on both the consequences
of, and the reasons behind, criminal behaviour. The policy covers a
range of issues including anti-social behaviour, penal and Garda
reform, fighting organised crime, providing for the victims of crime
and dealing with the scourge of human trafficking.
Launching the document Green Party
Justice spokesperson Ciarán Cuffe TD said: "Tackling poverty is
the key to reducing crime in Ireland. Criminal activity has its
roots in social exclusion, poor housing, and low educational
attainment. Too many communities are still marginalised by poverty
in the 21st century. The Greens in Government would commit to
tackling consistent poverty, starting with child poverty. Almost
150,000 children live in poverty in modern Ireland, and they deserve
better.
"Our prison system is also in crisis. The time has come for serious
action to address the problems of recidivism, overcrowding, and lack
of rehabilitation. Coupled with reformative measures it is also time
to consider alternatives to custody. We must recognise that prison
is not the appropriate punishment for every crime. We can learn from
international experiences of successful penal reform. Countries
including Finland, Germany and Canada have made conscious decisions
to reduce prison populations through the implementation of a
programme of suspended sentencing, fines and community service as an
alternative to custody.
"We recognise the damage done to
the reputation and standing of An Garda Síochána from the recent
revelations of the Morris and Barr tribunals. In order for the
nation's police force to do its job to the best of its ability it
must enjoy the full confidence of the people it serves. The Green
Party believes that the implementation of stringent disciplinary
regulations, new promotion regulations, a whistleblowers' charter
and continued reformative action – in line with the findings of
Justice Morris – will help to restore the reputation of An Garda
Síochána."
Urban Development spokesperson
and General Election candidate for Cork North Central Cllr Chris
O'Leary said: "Criminal activity occurs in all walks of life,
and affects all sections of our society, but a significant
proportion of criminal activity occurs in disadvantaged communities.
The Green Party is dedicated to tackling the underlying inequality
and poverty that lies at the root of much of the crime perpetrated
in Ireland today. We also want to see greater emphasis placed on
supporting of victims of crime, who often find themselves having to
deal with an adversarial criminal justice system, while also trying
to deal with the trauma of the crime itself.
"Anti-social behaviour is causing
major problems in many Irish communities. It results in the
destruction of community facilities, the undermining of law and
order and the creation of fear among householders. The Green Party
wants to see anti-social behaviour dealt with in an effective
manner. We do not believe, however, that the ASBOs will address the
real issues behind such behaviour – we already know from the UK's
experience that such orders are in many cases useless, but the
challenge of anti-social behaviour can and must be confronted. The
measures allowed for in the Children Act 2001 must be implemented
and proper resources for existing programmes and support services
for local communities in need of assistance should be made available
without delay. More effective community policing and greater
resourcing of the Garda Juvenile Diversion Programme, the Garda
Youth Diversion Projects and the Education Welfare Board are all
measures which can make a real difference."
Green Party spokesperson on
Women's Affairs and General Election candidate for Dublin North
Central Cllr Bronwen Maher said: "The trafficking of human
beings for labour or sexual exploitation is a rapidly growing
worldwide phenomenon, and Ireland is not playing its part in
combating it. The trade in human lives is a multi-billion euro
business that rewards its evil ringleaders handsomely at the expense
of innocent lives. Women's human rights are severely violated when
they are bought and sold, raped, falsely imprisoned and tortured and
it is estimated that more than 120,000 women and girls are
trafficked into western European countries every year. Ireland has
yet to transpose into law the 2002 EU Council framework decision on
combating and criminalising human trafficking despite the deadline
for doing so having passed more than two years ago. Ireland remains
the only EU member state that still has not done so. In Government
the Green Party will transpose this framework decision into national
law without delay.
"Domestic violence continues to be
one of the most insidious and complicated forms of violence in
contemporary society, and recent research has shown that 15 per cent
of Irish women experience severe domestic abuse. In 2005, 40 per
cent of the 26,000 calls made to the Women's Aid Helpline were
missed because of a lack of staff and up to 40 per cent of women
seeking refuge were refused accommodation. Yet despite the appalling
statistics, funding for these essential services has not increased
since 2002. The Green Party strongly supports the work of the
National Domestic Violence Intervention Agency Pilot Project and
will, in Government, provide multi-annual funding for the Agency and
for the roll out of pilot projects to other parts of the country.
The Green Party also wants to see an increase funding to Women's Aid
to allow for the resources to ensure that phone calls to that vital
helpline do not go unanswered," concluded Cllr Maher.
Click here to read the policy in full |
CiaranCuffe.com,
or Text Ciaran on 087 265 2075.