Bill criminalising the grooming of children into life of crime approved by Cabinet

A Bill criminalising the grooming of children into a life of crime has been approved by the Cabinet. 

The interim Minister for Justice, Simon Harris, today (January 18) secured approval to publish the Criminal Justice (Engagement of Children in Criminal Activity) Bill 2023, in the hopes of breaking the link between gangs and youth. 

The Bill will, for the first time, create specific offences where an adult compels, coerces, induces or invites a child to engage in criminal activity, the penalty for which will be up to five year's imprisonment. 

Speaking today, Minister Harris said, "The government is committed to building stronger, safer communities and breaking the link the link between gangs and the vulnerable young people they seek to recruit. 

"This legislation is aimed at preventing criminal networks from exploiting children to commit crime. Some children and teenagers are being deceived by criminal networks into believing crime can bring wealth, bling and a party lifestyle but in reality it brings debts, fear and potentially worse." 

He continued: "Criminal behaviour and conviction can alter the course of a child or person’s life – damaging employment, education, travel prospects, damaging social connections and overall leading to more negative life outcomes.

"Children and teenagers can be more vulnerable to coercion or encouragement to get involved in crime and we need to protect against this.

"This Bill will outlaw the grooming of children into crime by making it an offence for an adult to compel, coerce, direct or deceive a child for the purpose of engaging in criminal activity, or for an adult to induce, invite, aid, abet, counsel or procure a child to engage in criminal activity." 

The new offence will be a separate, prosecutable offence on top of the provisions in current law, where an adult who causes or uses a child to commit a crime can be punished as though they committed the crime themselves. 

The minister believes that one of the main benefits of this new legislation will lie in the ability it will give to An Garda Síochána to intervene locally to prevent offences taking place. 

Today’s Cabinet approval comes after Minister Helen McEntee's work on the draft law in recent years, including commitments in the Justice Plans to break the link between gangs and the children they try to recruit into crime.

Minister Harris intends to enact the legislation by the summer recess. 

According to the minister, the legislation has also been informed by the Greentown Project, which is being implemented by the University of Limerick in partnership with the Department of Justice and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. 

The project investigates the involvement of children in criminality and to establish interventions to tackle the problem, and has shown that criminal networks in many areas operate coercive control over young children.

Minister Harris added: "This legislation will send a strong message to communities that grooming children into criminal activity is not acceptable and can be tackled, and I hope to enact it by the summer recess. 

"The Bill will provide an effective tool to help break that link between these children and the adults who control their offending, which in turn is likely to reduce offending by children in these circumstances."