Very Positive Feedback from Ministers on SLSS Hubs Research and Contribution to Youth Crime Prevention

Stable Lives Safer Streets Hub (SLSS) met with Minister Jim O’Callaghan (Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Ireland) and Minister Naomi Long (Minister of Justice, NI) in Government Buildings, Dublin, on Wednesday this week.  SLSS Hub was in attendance at the official meeting ‘Advancement of North-South Criminal Justice Cooperation’ to present their research findings on youth crime prevention in both Ireland and Northern Ireland.  The Hub, in existence since 2022, looks in-depth at why some young people get involved in crime and why some do not.  It strives to understand the factors and people involved in influencing young people participating in criminal activity.

The meeting was very successful and provided the Hub with a wonderful opportunity to shine a light on the area of crime deterrence among young people and the work being carried out by the 19 dedicated members of the Hub’s research team.

The feedback from the Ministers was very positive with the Ministers issuing the following statements:

Minister O’Callaghan said:

‘It was insightful to hear from the academics leading the Stable Lives, Safer Streets project. Their collaboration will create an all-island Research Hub in Youth Justice which will be a superb resource in creating evidence-informed policy across the island and successfully translating that into practice’.

Minister Long said:

“The Stable Lives, Safer Streets initiative represents a significant investment in understanding the issues that affect vulnerable young people and their communities. It is encouraging to see cross-border research being put at the centre of future policy development. This collaborative approach will help ensure that our responses to youth crime and criminal exploitation are both evidence-based and effective’.