Effective Practices: Approaches and Models for Addressing Deficiencies

This chapter adopts a comparative approach, examining the experiences of England & Wales and Scotland to highlight potential gaps and identify practices that Ireland could adapt. The Criminal Justice Act 2003 in England & Wales and the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010 share similarities with Ireland’s Criminal Justice (Community Service) (Amendment) Act 2011, as all aim to promote alternatives to custody. However, in both England & Wales and Scotland, the use of direct alternatives to prison has declined, possibly due to a lack of confidence in their effectiveness among magistrates. The impact of these measures remains unclear, and “net-widening”—where more individuals become subject to punitive controls—continues to be a major concern.