A Collective Restorative Justice Strategy for Ireland, 2019-2023

Abstract

This article reproduces in abridged form a strategy for developing restorative justice in Ireland that emerged from a symposium held in March 2019 in Maynooth University and through subsequent consultations with participants and other interested parties. The purpose of the strategy is to help embed restorative justice and restorative practices within the Irish criminal justice system, building on existing practices and stimulating new work to fill gaps in policy and practice. The strategy initiative is part of a four-year project involving ten European jurisdictions, coordinated by Maynooth University, Restorative Justice Nederland and the European Forum for Restorative Justice. The key elements of the strategy and implementation steps are set our below; changes to the original document are limited to the omission of three appendices which provided information on the background to the project, a brief overview of the current state of play of the field in Ireland and the report of the March symposium. A full copy of the complete document can be accessed at http://www.probation.ie/EN/PB/WebPages/WP19000022