National Conference Spotlights 40 Years of Youth Justice Reform in Ireland
October 10, 2025
Dublin, 10 October 2025 – Ireland’s youth justice system is on the move toward a more rights-based, youth-centred future according to contributions at the 11th Irish Criminal Justice Agencies Conference taking place today. The national conference, titled “Youth Justice in Motion: Prevention, Intervention, Contribution,” brings together leaders from across the criminal justice sector to share innovative approaches to preventing youth offending, intervening effectively, and empowering young people’s voices in reform. Oberstown Children Detention Campus is using the occasion to reflect on a 40-year journey of youth justice reform and to champion the critical role of young people in shaping the system’s future.
Held at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) in Kilmainham, Dublin, the full-day event has brought delegates together to explore how the youth justice system can better prevent crime by addressing root causes early, intervene with supports when young people are in crisis, and recognise the contribution of young people as active agents of change in their communities.
The conference is a collaboration of Ireland’s criminal justice agencies – spanning the Department of Children, the Department of Justice, An Garda Síochána, the Courts Service, the Probation Service and more – and is hosted by the Association for Criminal Justice Research and Development (ACJRD), with Oberstown as lead partner in 2025. Notable speakers include President of the District Court Mr. Justice Paul Kelly and Ombudsman for Children Dr. Niall Muldoon, underscoring the high-level commitment to a better approach for young people.
Damien Hernon, Director of Oberstown Children Detention Campus, said: “For forty years, we have been on a journey to a system that believes in prevention, rehabilitation and giving young people a second chance. Oberstown’s own development mirrors this transformation and today it is a single national campus focused on care and education. The most powerful lesson we’ve learned along the way is the importance of listening to young people. When young people have a voice in shaping their own path, when they participate in decisions about their care and rehabilitation, it leads to better outcomes for them and a safer society for all of us. As we look ahead, our mission is to keep building on that progress over the next 40 years, so that every young person in trouble gets the support they need to turn their life around.”
Koulla Yiasouma, Chairperson of Oberstown’s Board, added: “As a society, we need to treat children in conflict with the law as children first and foremost. International best practice shows that a human-rights approach to youth justice works. That means investing in prevention, making sure interventions are trauma-informed and educational. We have seen in other jurisdictions that when you give young people a voice and a chance to change, they grasp it and communities become safer in the process. Ireland has made great strides by embracing new ideas, but we can go even further. By learning from international best practice and listening to the young people here at home, we can build a system that is truly effective for everyone.”
Mary Griffin, Chairperson of Association for Criminal Justice Research and Development (ACJRD), said: “As Chair of ACJRD, we are delighted to collaborate with Oberstown as the lead partner on this ICJA Conference, I am proud to welcome this timely conversation on youth justice. Youth Justice in Motion: Prevention, Intervention, Contribution reflects the reality that justice for young people is never static, it must adapt, evolve, and respond to their lived experiences. This conference is about more than addressing offending; it is about creating pathways that prevent harm, deliver meaningful interventions, and recognise the capacity of young people to be leaders and contributors in their communities. By bringing together voices from across the justice system, policy, research, and young people themselves, we aim to shape a system that not only protects but empowers, ensuring that youth justice in Ireland continues to move forward with compassion, innovation, and hope.”
Organised by ACJRD in partnership with all the key justice agencies, the ICJA Conference has become a cornerstone for policy discussion and inter-agency collaboration in Ireland’s criminal justice calendar. Oberstown Children Detention Campus, as this year’s lead partner, has helped shape an agenda that highlights how far the youth justice system has come and the work still needed to ensure it keeps moving in the right direction.
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Aaron Reilly / Cian Doherty, Drury
Aaron.reilly@drury.ie / Cian.Doherty@drury.ie
085 244 5630 / 087 772 6678