<p>
	Under-18s remanded in custody to be placed in Oberstown child detention school</p>
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	The practice of admitting minors to adult prisons is to cease from this week onwards.</p>
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	Until now, 17 year olds remanded in custody were typically placed in St Patrick&rsquo;s Institution for young offenders, which forms part of the Mountjoy Prison complex.</p>
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	The Government has been repeatedly criticised over the practice by children&rsquo;s rights advocates and international human rights groups.</p>
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	From Monday onwards, Oberstown child detention school near Lusk, Co Dublin, will take all young men under the age of 18 who are newly remanded in custody by the courts.</p>
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	All females under this age have been detained at the Oberstown campus since 2007.</p>
<p>
	The Government moved in recent times to expand the complex and recruit additional care staff at the Co Dublin facility.</p>
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	If these additional residential places are full, legislation allows for under-18s to be remanded in St Patrick&rsquo;s Institution. These provisions are due to be repealed soon, however.</p>
<p>
	On most occasions in the past two years, there have been fewer than eight under-18s remanded in custody in St Patrick&rsquo;s Institution.</p>
<p>
	The first five units of new residential accommodation have now been finished on the Oberstown campus and will be gradually brought into use.</p>
<p>
	Minister for Children James Reilly said he was committed to achieving the ending of the practice of detaining children in adult prisons at the earliest possible date.</p>
<p>
	The Government pledged to do this within the lifetime of the Coalition under its programme for government.</p>
<p>
	His colleague Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald said she is in talks with various agencies to ensure 17-year-old males currently serving sentences are moved into more appropriate settings as soon as possible.</p>
<p>
	The Government allocated &euro;50 million three years ago for the redevelopment of the Oberstown campus.</p>
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	It involves increasing the capacity of the facility and replacing some detention facilities which lack toilets.</p>
<p>
	<a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/practice-of-jailing-minors-in-adult-prisons-to-end-from-this-week-1.2157632">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/practice-of-jailing-minors-in-adult-prisons-to-end-from-this-week-1.2157632</a></p>
