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	I am delighted that the management and unions in Oberstown Detention Campus are once again discussing how to agree the way forward for industrial relations in the centre. While I am hopeful that a resolution can be found for all of those involved at Oberstown, I feel that this issue has raised some real questions about considering alternatives to detention, so that children and young people receive services sooner rather than later.</p>
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	Preventing children from entering the youth justice system needs to be a priority from the very first time that a child interacts with the system across health, education and justice. The first time a child comes into school without food, or they miss days without reason or they are reported as at risk of abuse or a concern for risk-taking behaviour - these are all opportunities for society to help them recover and it is our duty to protect them at those points.</p>
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	No child reached the point of criminality which will lead them to Oberstown without our system already knowing about them. So what can we, as aState and as a people, do better? We need to recognise that while alternatives to detention must be explored, Oberstown is our reality, and it may be our last opportunity to positively change some of these young people, rather than assume it is too late. Simply locking young people up does not work and we need to be brave in establishing a new way of doing things, to ensure that any of the young people who are ready to change will have all the support and assistance necessary to do that.</p>
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	The redevelopment of Oberstown Detention Campus has been a vital step in providing a proper, child-centred response to societal issues which manifest in the very small number of young people who develop dangerous and challenging behaviours. The move of young people out of St Patrick&#39;s Institution to Oberstown was the beginning of a revolution which was designed to bring about better outcomes for all involved; the young person, their family, their victims and ultimately society in general.</p>
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	The staff and management in Oberstown are tasked with caring for, and treating with respect, those who often do not reciprocate. I am sure that they fulfil this task admirably and with due diligence for the security and safety of all involved. Undoubtedly, some young people in Oberstown are much easier to work with, and relate to, than others. However, therein lies the challenge for us as a society. Can we do more than just secure them until they turn 18 and are released?</p>
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	I have visited Oberstown on a number of occasions and have seen the striking physical redesign which is going on there, but it appears we are now reaching the crossroads for the cultural redesign of the campus. We can look at the incidents that took place during the recent industrial action at Oberstown and see it as proof that all of these young people are violent offenders who deserve no compassion, who should be locked up and treated like prisoners. Or we can decide to redouble our efforts to ensure that every young person who enters the centre can expect respect, dignity and an opportunity to change their offending behaviour. That is an approach we have tried, but never managed to sustain in Ireland.</p>
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	We must remember that Oberstown is a place where young people are not only deprived of their liberty but are also given the opportunity to try and change, and to consider a new way of life. And no matter what else is happening, these goals and objectives must remain front and centre. I visited Oberstown last week after the strike and I spoke with a number of residents. One of the young people asked me why he was being punished, by being locked up for hours, for something that had nothing to do with him. I could not answer him. The knock-on effect of the incidents on the roof that night meant that the young people were confined to their rooms from 9.30pm on Sunday night until after midday on Tuesday - much longer than the planned eight hours stoppage from 8am to 4pm. This is not acceptable.</p>
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	In the past week, I have been in contact with both unions involved in the strike, as well as the management at Oberstown. In line with my statutory obligation, I highlighted issues relating to the rights and welfare of children and young people. Having received their responses, I am not satisfied that the rights of the young people affected were fully to the fore in planning for industrial action.</p>
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	Ireland has already tried the concept of locking up young people in closed institutions, treating them as criminals and calling them inmates or prisoners. That has been proven to fail and fail utterly. Industrial schools, reform schools, work houses, mother and baby homes, laundries - every one of them operated in the &quot;lock them up, break them down and then they will conform&quot; style of child welfare. As our recent history has clearly shown through the Ryan, Murphy, Cloyne and McAleese reports, this way of treating children and young people is doomed to failure. I am not comparing young mothers to young people who have committed crimes, but what I am saying is that taking away their dignity and self-respect after locking people up, does not encourage change but rather entrenches anger and disrespect for the people and society which endorses such treatment.</p>
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	Change is possible and while you will never change all of these individuals, designing the system in a way that assumes you can change none of them, is to fail before you begin.</p>
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	Niall Muldoon is the Ombudsman for Children</p>
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	(Published by the Irish Independent on the 6th September 2016)</p>
<p>
	<a href="http://www.independent.ie/opinion/comment/if-we-are-to-change-young-offenders-we-must-reform-our-flawed-system-35024810.html">http://www.independent.ie/opinion/comment/if-we-are-to-change-young-offenders-we-must-reform-our-flawed-system-35024810.html</a></p>
