There’s been a call for a mentoring programme for young offenders to be widened.
Started in 2005 in Coolock, the Le Cheile programme works with the Probation Service to reduce the number of young people becoming involved in crime;
152 12 to 21 year-olds and 49 parents were mentored by volunteers in 2015.
A new report shows it works with a 28 percent drop in young people who go through the programme reoffending.
CEO Ann Conroy says the participants are also more likely to go into education and training.
She’s called for the programme to be extended to more areas and is urging anyone who’s 21 and over and interested in becoming a volunteer mentor to get in touch.
