EPPOC NIPS ACEs Study

The Department of Justice (DoJ) coordinates the Tackling Paramilitary Activity, Criminality and Organised Crime Programme which is the Executive’s response to its commitment made under the Fresh Start agreement of November 2015 and the New Decade, New Approach (NDNA) document of 2020. It is reflected in the draft Programme for Government / Outcomes Delivery Plan and DoJ Corporate Plan for 2022-25. The Tackling Paramilitary Activity, Criminality, and Organised Crime Programme is a collaborative, Executive-wide approach which has the outcome of ‘safer communities, resilient to paramilitarism, criminality and coercive control’. It was initially established in 2016 as a result of the Fresh Start Agreement as a means of implementing the Independent Panel’s Report on the Disbandment of Paramilitary Groups. To support this goal, and to better understand need to improve service delivery, the Programme seeks to commission a comprehensive study on the prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), childhood trauma, and exposure to violence among the Northern Ireland prison population. This research will fill a critical evidence gap, inform rehabilitation and public safety strategies, and support trauma-informed approaches within the justice system.