JARC, which was officially launched in November 2015, is a multi-agency initiative which aims to:
• Develop and strengthen a multi-agency approach to the management of prolific offenders;
• Prioritise such offenders for targeted interventions and supports to address their behaviour; and
• Reduce crime and victimisation in local communities.

The objective of this review is to assess how effective and efficient the co-ordinated approach is, as well as outlining possible changes that would enhance the performance of the J-ARC strategy. As such, it is worth highlighting that this evaluation does not intend to be conclusive and it is important that the programme is monitored and reviewed on a regular basis.

Implemented through a number of separate but interrelated local programmes, JARC provides an intensive and highly collaborative approach to the supervision and rehabilitation of prolific offenders in particular areas of Dublin and beyond. Under each of these programmes, An Garda Síochána, the Probation Service and the Irish Prison Service proactively collaborate in identifying the offenders causing most harm in a particular area and agreeing interventions to help them to move away from re-offending. The JARC programmes thus offer tailored supports and practical help to participants with addiction, educational, training or other needs, and are implemented with the assistance and expertise of other State agencies as well as community-based organisations.

JARC was piloted under three Dublin-based programmes, as follows:
• STRIVE: This programme is aimed at persons with a history of causing high levels of harm or disruption to a designated area of north Dublin.
• Change Works: This programme is aimed at adult males across the Dublin Metropolitan Region who have a history of violent crime.
• ACER 3: This programme is aimed at persons in the Garda districts of Kevin Street and Tallaght who have a repeated and prolific history of burglary.

In 2017, the ACER 3 programme was extended to a further three regional locations: Dundalk, Waterford and Limerick. At present there are approximately 115 participants across the various adult JARC programmes. While the programme is not gender-specific, the vast majority of participants are male. In addition, a pilot Youth J-ARC initiative (Y-JARC), aimed at 16-21 year olds, was launched in July 2017 in locations in Cork and west Dublin. There are five participants in each of these pilot programmes.