A new University of Limerick research project will study interventions that aim to prevent youth recruitment and participation in European drugs markets.
The study – titled ‘Promising Approaches, Opportunities and Barriers for Interventions to Prevent Youth Recruitment and Participation in European Drugs Markets’ – will be led by the Research Evidence into Policy, Programmes and Practice (REPPP) Project, a strategic partnership between UL’s School of Law and the Department of Justice, aimed at improving understandings about youth crime and the effectiveness of youth crime policy, programmes, and practice.
REPPP will lead the study on behalf of the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) – the leading authority on illicit drugs in Europe – which is funding the project.
The project aims to enhance crime prevention efforts in Europe by evaluating existing interventions for the prevention of youth involvement in drug markets and drug-related crime; identifying implementation barriers to progress; developing a framework for new interventions and leading a committed network of experts to encourage the sharing of learning across Europe.
The project officially commenced with a special event in the University of Leiden, The Netherlands, in December. Facilitated by the UL REPPP Team, policymakers and academics from Ireland, The Netherlands, and Sweden discussed opportunities to share learning from both research and practice in this complex policy area.
The project builds on REPPP’s innovative work to-date on understanding the phenomenon of children’s involvement of criminal networks in Ireland.
REPPP’s Greentown study, funded by the Department of Justice, examined how children are recruited into criminal networks. The study informed the development of a community-based response programme by the REPPP Team in collaboration with national and international scientific experts and stakeholders.
The Greentown Response Programme is now being trialled in two locations in Ireland by community-based organisations, with funding by the Department of Justice. Plans to expand the Greentown Programme nationally have been included in the draft Programme for Government 2025.
“This is a significant opportunity to connect with policymakers, researchers, law enforcement agencies, and practitioners across Europe to uncover and share the emerging body of knowledge in this really tricky area,” said Helen Fitzgerald, REPPP Assistant Director and EUDA Project Lead.
“The scientific evidence in this area is limited, so this project is critically important in terms of building on existing initiatives and informing and designing future responses to the complex problem of young people’s involvement in drugs markets and drug-related criminal activities.”