Minister Jim O’Callaghan publishes first progress report of ‘Building Pathways Together: Criminal Justice Reintegration Through Employment Strategy’
- Published on: 5 May 2026
- Last updated on: 5 May 2026
Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O’Callaghan has published the first Annual Report of the Building Pathways Together: Criminal Justice Reintegration Through Employment Strategy.
The Programme for Government 2025, Securing Ireland’s Future, commits to implementing an employment strategy for former offenders. This Report is the first Annual Report on progress to implement the Building Pathways Together Strategy, outlining the progress achieved to provide the appropriate supports and opportunities to those who have ceased offending and are seeking stability throughout the first year of the strategy. Key developments in 2025 include:
- KickStart Scholarship funding provided for Semester 2, 2025 – 2026
- Preparatory work for KickStart Round 4
- The graduation of the first cohort of the Lived Experience Leadership Programme (LEAD)
- Establishment of the Criminal Justice Employer’s Network (CJEN) and Criminal Justice Employment Advisory Committee (CJEAC)
- Gaisce Generation Change: Embracing New Horizons Event
- Commencement of Building Pathways Together website development
Speaking on the publication of the report, Minister O’Callaghan said:
“I welcome the publication of the first annual report on progress to implement the Building Pathways Together Strategy, which seeks to provide effective interventions to ensure that those who have ceased offending, and those looking to move away from a life of crime, have the appropriate supports and opportunities to maximise their chances of success.
“The report sets out the many important actions taken to inform, educate, and empower people with criminal convictions, as well as employers, throughout the first year of the strategy.”
Work has commenced on progressing the 2026 actions identified in the Building Pathways Together Strategy and efforts remain ongoing to continue to implement the actions initiated in 2025.
ENDS...///
Notes for editors
- On 7 November 2024, the Building Pathways Together: Criminal Justice Reintegration Through Employment Strategy 2025-2027 was formally launched. It was developed by the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration in conjunction with the Irish Prison Service and the Probation Service, and in consultation with key stakeholders including Government Departments, agencies, and those with lived experience of the criminal justice system who have faced barriers to reintegration.
- The Building Pathways Together Strategy is the third employment strategy developed by the Department. The Strategy builds on previous employment strategies with a renewed focus on practical steps to increase employment in this cohort. A New Way Forward: Social Enterprise Strategy 2017-2019 was Ireland’s first strategy specifically targeting social enterprises. Working to Change: Social Enterprise and Employment Strategy 2021-2023 expanded beyond social enterprises with the goal of taking a whole-systems approach to increasing employment options for people with past convictions.
- The Report is broken into three thematic pillars with actions under each pillar to address the challenges faced when seeking to increase the number of people with previous criminal convictions in employment. The pillars are:
- People with Criminal Convictions
- Employers
- Promotion and Knowledge Sharing