Ireland’s youth detention centre faces urgent capacity crisis warns local councillor

In a press statement released today, Cllr Declan Burgess warned that Gardaí are being left undermined, courts frustrated, and vulnerable young people without the structured support they urgently need, calling for immediate action to tackle a growing crisis in Ireland’s youth detention system.

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“I am calling on Government, and in particular the relevant Ministers, to urgently work with all stakeholders to address the growing crisis in youth detention capacity, staffing and early intervention supports, with a particular focus on Oberstown Children Detention Campus,” he stated.

Oberstown is Ireland’s national facility for the detention, care, and education of young people under 18 who are before the courts on detention or remand orders. Its role is clear: to protect communities, uphold the rule of law, and provide structured rehabilitation so young people can return to society without reoffending.

However, capacity has not kept pace with population growth and rising serious youth offending. While the centre is authorised to house up to 46 young people, staffing shortages often mean fewer places are available to the courts. Garda sources and court reports have repeatedly highlighted that serious offenders are being released because there is simply no space.

“In my own Cashel area, our community has seen the wider pattern across Ireland where courts are left with no meaningful sanction available. Law and order must matter.

Where serious crimes are committed, detention must remain a real and workable option. Without this, the judicial system is effectively being forced to release offenders without consequence, not because it is right, but because capacity does not exist,” said Cllr Burgess.

He acknowledged that detention should always be a last resort, but stressed it must remain a credible one. Oberstown itself has flagged concerns over staffing levels, recruitment difficulties, and the rising complexity of behaviour linked to trauma, disability, and mental health. Reports show €84,000 was spent on an unsuccessful attempt to fill a single role, highlighting the severity of the staffing crisis.

Cllr Burgess is urging a dual-track approach from Government: immediate action on capacity and staffing, alongside serious investment in early intervention and prevention.

“Early intervention is not soft on crime; it is smart on crime. It reduces victims, reoffending and long-term costs to society,” he said.

He concluded by warning that failure to act will leave communities exposed, Gardaí undermined, courts frustrated, and vulnerable young people without the structured intervention they urgently need.

“Communities deserve to feel safe. Young people deserve help, structure and accountability. Victims deserve a justice system that works.

Supporting Oberstown is not about punishment alone, nor is it about ignoring the welfare of children. It is about restoring balance: early intervention where possible, firm consequences where necessary, and a justice system that protects communities while giving young people a genuine chance to turn their lives around,” he said.

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