What is Restorative Justice?

The Nenagh Community Reparation Project concurs with the following description of restorative justice, which was suggested by Howard Zehr in 1990 and 1994

Housing
The progressive building programme of both private construction companies and the Local Authority ensures that a wide selection of quality houses is available to meet the requirement of the town's residents.

Schools/Education
Nenagh has both primary and secondary level schools which offer comprehensive and effective curricula. Gaelscoileanna are established at both levels offering education through Irish. The town is noted nationally for its bilingual character and this was acknowledged by Uachtarán na hÉireann in 1998 when she presented the Glór na nGael Award to the people of Aonach Urmhumhan. Teach an Léinn, which is located on Kenyon Street, which comes under the auspices of Tipperary North Riding Vocational Educational Committee, offers an excellent range of courses in adult education, literacy, computer skills and back to work education.

Recreational facilities
Excellent recreational facilities are enjoyed by the people of Nenagh, including a heritage centre, a well-stocked modern library, a cinema, an active opera society and drama group and a variety of clubs. For those interested in sports, Nenagh and the county offer quality facilities for golf, tennis, squash, pitch & putt, shooting, fishing, hunting, horse-riding, rugby, soccer and the traditional games of handball, Gaelic football and hurling. Indoor facilities include a swimming pool and an athletic track. Lough Derg, 5 miles (8 km) west of the town, is a natural fishing amenity and there are excellent facilities for sailing, water-skiing, swimming and other aquatic sports. Lough Derg is the largest of the Shannon lakes and forms a 30 mile (48km) border between counties Galway, Clare and Tipperary. The neighbouring Silvermine Mountains , 5 miles (8km) away provide scenic views and beautiful hill-walks for visiting and local people.

Health Services
Hospital facilities in Nenagh include a general hospital (surgical and medical) and a dental clinic. There are private nursing homes and many general practitioners and dental surgeons in private practice in Nenagh.

Development Plan
Nenagh Town Council has recently revised its town development plan.

Social Background Nenagh Urban District

Age Profile
The total population of Nenagh Urban District was 5645 in 1996. In 1996, 36 per cent of this area was classified as age dependent (i.e. under 15 years and over 65 years). The gender differentiated age profile shows that 26 percent of the male population and 21 per cent of the female population in the area were aged under 15 years. In 1996, 8 per cent of the population was aged 20-24 years while 7 per cent were between the ages of 25 to 29 years.

Education
In Nenagh Urban District, 27 per cent of the adult population left education at or before 15 years of age. In 1996, 27 per cent of the population aged 15 years and over had no formal or primary education only. 15 per cent of the population remained in education up to and beyond the age of 20. In 1996, 19 per cent of the population aged 15 years and over whose full-time education had ceased, had received a third level education. 28 per cent of men (who had ceased education) in Nenagh Urban District had left school with no formal or primary education only while 25 per cent of women (who had ceased education) had left the education system with primary level or no formal education. 19 per cent of men and 19 per cent of women in the Nenagh Urban District attended third level education.

Employment
In Nenagh Urban District, 41 per cent of the total unemployed population had no formal education or attended primary level only. 46 per cent of unemployed men and 30 per cent of unemployed women had no formal or only primary education. There were 362 people unemployed in Nenagh Urban District in 1996 of which 43 per cent had been unemployed for three years or more.

11 per cent of males at work in the Nenagh Urban District were in part time work. While the majority of employed women were engaged in full time work (72%), almost a quarter (24%) worked in a part time capacity. The majority of people at work in Nenagh Urban District were employed in manufacturing (27%) and commerce (24%), while 17 per cent were employed in professional services.

Social Class
The percentage of the population in Nenagh Urban in social classes 1 and 2 (professional workers and managerial and technical respectively) in 1996 was 28 per cent. 37 per cent of the population was in social classes 3 and 4 (non-manual and skilled manual occupations respectively). 24 per cent of the population belonged to social classes 5 and 6 ( the semi and unskilled manual classes respectively) while 11 per cent of the population was in social class 7 (all others).