Ireland

Provides a listing of articles on restorative justice developments in Ireland. Articles appear in the order in which they were added to the site with the most recent appearing first.

Ahern to expand restorative justice scheme

from Niamh Connolly's arricle in The Post: The government has given the green light to expanding a restorative justice pilot scheme to the criminal courts. Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern approved a memo to cabinet before Christmas to allow for an expansion of the Tallaght-based Restorative Justice Service to the Criminal Courts of Justice. It also allows the Nenagh Community Reparation project to be expanded to Limerick and Tipperary.

State in denial over Magdalenes

from James M. Smith's letter in IrishTimes.com: Last Friday week I attended a meeting with senior Department of Justice officials. I had been invited as a representative of the survivor advocacy group, Justice for Magdalenes (JFM). We are campaigning to bring about an apology and a distinct redress scheme for these survivors of institutional abuse. An apology, I contend, is key in effecting restorative justice for this community of women. To date, no one in Ireland has apologised for abuses in the laundries – not church, not State, not families, not the wider community. All these segments of society were complicit in this historic abuse but no one is prepared to stand up and say, “I am sorry”. No one is prepared to admit that what happened to these women and young girls was wrong.

Brady encourages Magdalene survivors in talks with church

from Genevieve Carbery and Patsy McGarry's entries in Irishtimes.com.: Primate of All-Ireland Cardinal Seán Brady has encouraged Magdalene survivors in their efforts to establish dialogue with religious congregations. The cardinal met representatives of advocacy group Justice for Magdalenes (JFM) for two hours at his residence in Armagh on Thursday evening. He said yesterday it was a welcome opportunity to listen to the perspective of the JFM on “the story of the involvement of church, State and society in the former Magdalene laundries”. “By today’s standards much of what happened at that time is difficult to comprehend,” he said.

Smyth victim in Brady resign call

from the article on BBC News: A victim of serial abuser Fr Brendan Smyth has called on the head of the Catholic Church in Ireland to resign. Cardinal Sean Brady has admitted he was at meetings in 1975 where two abused children signed vows of silence over their complaints against Fr Smyth. On Monday, a victim of Fr Smyth called Samantha told the BBC the church needed to "root out the rot and start from the top". "This is not a witch hunt, this is about what is right," she added.

Griffin on the final report of the National Commission on Restorative Justice

from Human Rights in Ireland: The National Commission on Restorative Justice published its final report in December 2009. The Commission, announced in March 2007, was set up to examine the wider application of restorative justice within the criminal justice system. The Commission was established following the report of the Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women’s Rights which recommended the development of a restorative justice programme for adult offenders in the Irish criminal justice system.

Restorative justice could cut 'reoffending and save €8.3m'

by Jamie Smyth in IrishTimes.com: The government should introduce a restorative justice scheme by 2015 that is capable of handling up to 7,250 criminal cases every year, a new report has commended. The scheme, which typically allows offenders to provide some form of reparation to victims rather than serve time in prison, could save the exchequer up to €8.3 million per year. It could also cut reoffending rates in half, according to the report to be published [17 Dec] by Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern. Compiled by the National Commission on Restorative Justice, it recommends that courts be required to consider restorative justice as an alternative to prison for offences where sentences of up to three years in jail are normal.

Ireland Exploring Further Restorative Justice Implementation

The National Commission on Restorative Justice (Commission) in Ireland has released an interim report on its work to develop a policy framework for expanding the use of restorative justice throughout the country. The report suggests possible pilot projects and describes issues still to be studied.

Ireland Exploring Further Restorative Justice Implementation

The National Commission on Restorative Justice (Commission) in Ireland has released an interim report on its work to develop a policy framework for expanding the use of restorative justice throughout the country. The report suggests possible pilot projects and describes issues still to be studied.

Kenny, Paula and Leonard, Liam. Measuring the effectiveness of restorative justice practices in the Republic of Ireland through a meta-analysis of functionalist exchange.

This article presents an analysis of restorative justice practice in the Republic of Ireland. This is achieved through an examination of data on restorative justice conferencing events in various venues around Ireland. From these data, the authors analyze these restorative events through an examination of the “functionalist exchange,” which occurs during the interaction between participants in such events. The extent of functionalist exchange is measured through an application of the meta-analysis first utilized in relation to restorative justice practice by Jeff Latimer, Craig Dowden, and Danielle Muise. The study assesses the extent to which functionalist roles become significant in restorative conference outcomes. The article argues that to be truly restorative, events must incorporate the extent to which remorse and subsequent satisfaction is expressed. In addition, the theories of restorative justice are shown to require a further analysis from the practitioners’ perspective, which this article provides. By examining the concepts such as Tomkins’ affect theory and Nathanson’s compass of shame, along with the practitioner-based perspective of Morris and Maxwell, this research constructs a wider understanding of the significance of the functionalist roles of participants during restorative events. (author's abstract)

O’Donnell, Ian. "Crime and Justice in the Republic of Ireland"

Criminology remains underdeveloped in the Republic of Ireland and, although some excellent pieces of scholarship have appeared down the years, an adequate body of knowledge is still some way distant. Despite the limitations of the available information, a number of trends can be discerned. The rate of recorded crime reached a peak in the early 1980s and then fell for four years. This pattern was repeated in the mid-1990s. In 1996 the debate about law and order became hotly politicized. This marked the beginning of a steady increase in the prison population. Despite surging costs, the criminal justice agencies have been slow to embrace a culture of performance management and evaluation. Policymaking is characterized by a mixture of inertia and sudden upheaval.

Moore, Barry and Sweeney, Rose. Interagency Cooperation-- The Way Forward.

The SRSB is an independent statutory body set up under the Children Act 2001. Its functions include liaising with the various agencies and advising the Courts in relation to appropriate accommodation and services for children who offend. This function is carried out in keeping with the ethos of the Children Act: Detention as a last resort. (author's abstract).

Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights. Report on Restorative Justice.

The Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women’s Rights of the Houses of the Oireachtas (Irish Parliament) undertook the review of restorative justice as a part of its ongoing work of evaluating criminal justice policies. The report considers the work of four restorative justice pilot programmes currently operating in Ireland as well as international experiences. It also includes evidence gathered from a meeting of prominent criminal justice figures held in October 2006.

. Final Report.

This more-detailed treatment commences with a review of the approach of the Commission and its understanding of restorative justice. It proceeds to study how restorative justice has been applied at home and abroad, before looking at the impact it has made on stakeholders and at the Irish context in which it would apply. The Commission is then in a position to assess what is needed and makes recommendations on how wider provision should be made. It concludes by making tentative projections as to potential scale and by outlining appropriate steps it considers should be taken to apply restorative justice more widely. This sequence is also reflected in the executive summary below. (Excerpt)

National Commission on Restorative Justice. Restorative Justice: Interim Report.

The report refers to international evidence from the perspectives of victims, offenders and the community. It demonstrates that while satisfaction and participation rates among victims and offenders may be positive across many countries, additional research is necessary when exploring restorative justice in the context of reducing recidivism rates. The report also provides an up-to-date analysis of restorative justice measures currently operating domestically and makes recommendations as to how current schemes could be improved. (excerpt)

Mika, Harry. Community-Based Peacebuilding: A Case Study in Northern Ireland.

Drawing upon a careful assessment of community efforts to reduce paramilitary punishment violence in Loyalist and Republican working class areas of Northern Ireland, this paper explores the impact of former combatants as agents of the peace process.

. Integrating wholesale restorative justice within Irish society: Issues and considerations facing policy makers.

Restorative Justice has grown from a few scattered experimental projects, into a social movement and an identifiable field of practice and study. While restorative justice is provided for within the Irish criminal justice system, its application is confined under statute to juvenile offenders. The National Commission on Restorative Justice are now in the process of evaluating how a national roll out of restorative justice might be achieved within the jurisdiction. In this article the main challenges facing the National Commission on Restorative Justice (Ireland) will be outlined, particularly having regard to their terms of reference. The article will also explore existing provisions catering for restorative justice in this jurisdiction, while giving a brief explanation on the core principles and values underpinning restorative justice. (author's abstract)

Houses of the Oireachta. Children Act, 2001.

This legislation contains provisions addressing family welfare conferences and diversion programmes.

Arsovska, Jana. Cost A21: New WG on RJ, Violent Conflicts and Mass Victimisation

A new Working Group within the COST A 21 was established in August 2005. The main objective of the Cost A21 is to enhance and to deepen knowledge on theoretical and practical aspects of restorative justice in Europe. The intention of this Working Group 4 is to provide a better view on whether and how restorative justice can help in bringing more valuable solutions aiming to support people living in various (post)conflict areas. The Working Group will mainly look at a number of conflicts occurring in different regions through the lenses of the UN principles on restorative justice, and it will try to evaluate the relevance and the use of these principles in the different contexts. The Working Group met for the first time in Maastricht (The Netherlands) in October 2005 in order to discuss the agenda for 2005.2006. The next meeting of this group will be in Tel Aviv (Israel) in March 2006 linked to a workshop organised by the Bar Ilan University and that will take place on 5 March. (excerpt)

King-Irani, Laurie. To Reconcile, or to be Reconciled?: Agency, Accountability, and Law in Middle Eastern Conflicts.

As have other countries and regions around the world, the Middle East has experienced much conflict, injustice, and violence within and between countries of the region over decades. In this paper, Laurie King-Irani asks whether international human rights ideas and laws apply to the region. Should, for example, Middle Eastern countries seek reconciliation and transformation of conflict among their people by dealing with past injustices and human rights violations through one or another of the various mechanisms used in other countries? Or, as King-Irani reports the perspective of a U.S. government official in the late 1990s, should people in Middle Eastern countries reconcile themselves to the realities of life in troubled, autocratic regimes? In this context, and with a focus on addressing injustices in Lebanon and between Israel and Palestine, she uses anthropology to examine moral, legal, and cultural issues relating to impunity, accountability, stereotypes, tribal identities, and politics.

Griffin, Diarmuid. The Juvenile Conundrum - Ireland's Responses to Youth Offending

This essay examines Ireland's treatment of juvenile offenders within the legal system. Legislation in the form of the Children Act 2001 (hereafter the 'Act') provides for drastic reform of the juvenile justice system, yet the procrastination in the implementation of the Act, and the provisions of the Act itself, raise questions of Ireland's treatment of an increasingly stigmatised sector of society. (excerpt)