Sir, - Once again, your newspaper has made an eloquent plea for a considered approach to the problem of law and order (editorial, October 14th). This is a refreshing perspective, at a time when decisions about how best to tackle crime are being made in the absence of any fundamental understanding of this intractable social problem.
It seems astonishing that politicians can comment with any confidence on the best methods of crime reduction, when research into the extent and dynamics of criminal activity in Ireland is virtually non existent. White vast amounts of public money are committed to a prison building programme and a range of other "reforms", there is no financial provision for independent, critical inquiry and review. Indeed, Ireland is probably unique among developed countries in not having a single university department of criminal justice.
This has serious implications for the quality of the debate on crime and punishment. For example, it is rare to hear any discussion of the causes of crime or crime prevention. These are key issues. Most of those processed by the courts and detained in our prisons are drawn from clearly identifiable socio economic groups. Many are drug addicted and hopeless.
Identifying effective ways of engaging these potential offenders, and reintegrating them once they transgress, are some of the real challenges for society. To meet these challenges, it is crucial that the Government creates an environment where research is facilitated and adequately funded. Only then can these vexing issues can be considered in all their messy complexity. - Yours, etc.,
University of Oxford,
Centre for Criminological
Research,
12 Bevington Road,
Oxford OX2 6LH.