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IRISH JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL STUDIES

ISSN 1393-7022

Volume 6, Number 1, Autumn 2005

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Table of Contents and Abstracts

A Word from the Editor / 5
Dr. Niall McElwee

In this Issue / 9
Niall McElwee, PhD

Garda Diversion of Young Offenders:
An Unreasonable Threat to Due Process Rights? / 13
Liz Cambell

Abstract
Diversion programmes play a significant role in the field of youth justice, as an alternative to the conventional court process, which aim to prevent the entry of the child into the formal justice system. The long-established practice of diverting certain young offenders from prosecution ensures that children are not drawn into the criminal justice system and are not given a criminal record . A non-statutory diversion programme entitled the Garda Liaison Scheme was established in Ireland in 1963, which diverted less serious young offenders from prosecution. This scheme was placed on a statutory footing by part 4 of the Children Act 2001, an Act which represents a major reform of the law pertaining to young justice. Whilst a diversion programme has been established under part 8 of the Act which concerns those juveniles who are being prosecuted for a crime, this article will concentrate solely on the pre-trial diversion programme, given the particular issues of. due process which arise in this regard.

Homeless Outreach Projects for Single Parent Families.
What Happens to the Children? / 27
Colleen Kasting & Sibylle Artz

Abstract
This article provides an overview of the changing nature of family homelessness in the US and Canada, the current literature on homeless families and their children, and reports on a Canadian example of community-based research on family homelessness. This research shows that poverty, family violence, a history of abuse and problems with mental health and substance misuse are the dominant factors that contribute to family homelessness. The research also shows that the children of homeless families face grave risks, and makes explicit the need for immediate policy and practice initiatives to end family homelessness.

Poems / 51
Kelly Mason

Perceptions Regarding Male Suicide &
Preventative Services in Co. Kilkenny / 55
Louise Butler & Jim Phelan

Abstract
This paper examines perceptions regarding rural male suicide and the preventative services available in Co. Kilkenny to combat the problem. For every four male suicides, there is one female suicide. The problem is becoming a rural rather than an urban one. The research set out to identify gaps in services and existing policies in addressing suicide among young rural men. Data were obtained from interview with the service providers and also from focus group discussions with young rural Kilkenny men. Total participants in the focus groups were 15 young men. Limitations to this study centred around the difficulty of organising young men to take part in the focus discussion groups. Many official organisations in Co. Kilkenny were approached but no focus group was forthcoming. The one official group that took part was through Macra na Feirme. The other three focus groups that were gathered came from personal contacts. However, even through these channels many potential groups in the end did not materialise and for the groups that did materialise many of the young men did not turn up. Overall the general feedback from people in their resistance to coming together was that the topic was a deterrent to them.
The research shows that none of the service providers have a specific focus on the problem of suicide among young rural males and that a National Prevention Strategy is yet to be presented by the National Task Force on Suicide'. The prevention services available at the moment are not seen as relevant to young men. They need to become more acceptable especially to those in the high-risk categories. More research needs to be conducted to find the reasons why young rural men are committing suicide so that suitable service responses can be created.

Living in Care:
Older Persons Experiences of Nursing Homes / 77
Cathy Gibson & Aine de Roiste

Abstract
A sample of 40 older persons, (30 female; 10 male) half of whom resided in public and half of whom resided in private nursing homes across Cork city and county participated in the study. Participants were interviewed about their experience of entering and living in nursing home care. The qualitative data yielded from the interviews identified that the majority of the sample entered into care due to poor physical or mental health. The features of residential care reported that were liked were an enhanced sense of security, the company of others and being looked after. The features of residential care reported that were disliked were the lack of control over ones daily life and residential care being a very `public experience' characterised by a lack of privacy.

 

In this Issue

This issue of the Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies carries, as has become the norm, includes papers from Ireland and Canada. We are fortunate as a journal to have a backlog of papers waiting for publication and we would ask our contributors to be patient with us. We try to give the reader a sample of different writing styles, commentaries, approaches to research and, of course, opinions from our friends in social care and child and youth care. We even allow our contributors room to manoeuvre in their referencing systems! We appreciate and seek feedback on our papers. Please email me at socsciconsultancy@gmail.com and mark these `Letters to the Editor'.

The opening article by a Government of Ireland Scholar, Liz Cambell, seeks to establish whether the purported benefits of the much-discussed Garda diversion programme outweigh any infringements on the rights of the child. A brief elucidation of the salient provisions of part 4 was followed by viewing the application of the Programme to date. The question is posed, are traditional due process rights relevant or necessary in the context of the Garda diversion programme? Are the factors differentiating the diversion programme from court proceedings so significant as to warrant the application of a modified rights framework which departs from the conventional due process model`? Finally, a proposed legislative amendment which would permit the fact of participation in the diversion programme to be cited in court and which has the capacity to alter the tenor of the debate in a fundamental sense was considered.

Our second paper from two of our international colleagues provides us with an overview of the changing nature of family homelessness in the US and Canada, the current literature on homeless families and their children and reports on a Canadian example of community-based research on family homelessness. Colleen Kasting & Sybille Artz show us that poverty, family violence, a history of abuse and problems with mental health and substance misuse are the dominant factors that contribute to family homelessness. Where have we heard that one before I wonder? Their research also illustrates that the children of homeless families face grave risks, and makes explicit the need for immediate policy and practice initiatives to end family homelessness. There are lessons here for us in the Irish context too.

Next, we are taken to Poetry Corner which I have decided to include to give us a break (much-needed I hear you say) from academic musings. I have chosen four pieces from Kelly Mason, a wonderfully energised young woman I met in New Brunswick. Her poetry speaks for itself. I hope that this gives other readers the bug to also commit pen to paper or fingers to keys to allow creative writing to become a mainstay in the journal.

Liz Butler and Jim Phelan then move us to a paper which examines perceptions regarding rural male suicide and the preventative services available in Co. Kilkenny, Ireland to combat the problem. They note the disturbing statistic that for every four male suicides, there is one female suicide. They suggest that the problem is becoming more a rural rather than an urban issue. One of the interesting aspects of their research is that they set out to identify gaps in services and existing policies in addressing suicide among young rural men as we more often see material on their urban counterparts. Data was obtained from interviews with the service providers and also from focus group discussions with 15 young rural Kilkenny men.

Our final paper comments on a study completed in Cork, Ireland where a sample of 40 older persons, (30 female; 10 male) half of whom resided in public and half of whom resided in private nursing homes across Cork city and county participated with Cathy Galvin and Aine De Roiste. Participants were interviewed about their experience of entering and living in nursing home care and the qualitative data yielded from the interviews identified that the majority of the sample entered into care due to poor physical or mental health. The features of residential care reported that were liked were an enhanced sense of security, the company of others and being looked after. The features of residential care reported that were disliked were the lack of control over ones daily life and residential care being a very `public experience' characterised by a lack of privacy. We, thus, get a valuable insight into life into elder care and we have much to learn from our seniors.

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