Judge calls for abolition of ‘ineffective’ parental supervision orders

Parental Supervision Orders may be imposed on parents of children who commit crimes.

Under the Children Act 2001, an order may be imposed if a court is satisfied that “a wilful failure of the child’s parents to take care of or control the child contributed to the child’s criminal behaviour”.

The court can tell a parent to “adequately and properly control or supervise the child to the best of their ability”.

Failure to comply with an order is deemed as contempt of court and can result in fines or periods of custody.

However, District Court judge John O’Connor said in an address to lawyers, gardaí and social workers that “there should be no punishment of parents for the offences committed by their children and parental supervision orders should be abolished”.

Such orders, he said, are “unlikely to contribute to parents becoming active partners in the social reintegration of their child”.

“They are ineffective in practice and it isn’t acceptable internationally to criminalise parents of children in conflict with the law.”

Judge O’Connor made his comments during a speech entitle “What Works and What Could Work Better in Irish Youth Justice Policy” at the annual Irish Criminal Justice Agencies conference.