In 2021, this website published the data and initial analysis from our mapping exercise to measure and capture the use of restorative justice and restorative practices in the Irish criminal justice system. In May this year, the research was published as an academic article in the International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice (Volume 70, pp. 1-11).

Based on research funded by the Department of Justice, the article analyses and contextualises the main findings from our investigation of the extent to which restorative justice and restorative practices are used in Irish criminal justice. It outlines new data collected from agencies that seldom permit academic access to data, nor publish figures on these elements of their work.

The findings suggest that restorative justice is used with several offence types, albeit mostly in relation to victimless offences (or otherwise in the absence of a direct victim), while accessibility remains low overall. At the same time, the growth in restorative practices training creates an opportunity to align occupational cultures with restorative principles. This study lays the groundwork for policies aiming to make restorative justice more accessible and embed a restorative culture in Irish criminal justice professions and agencies.

The article is available open access (freely downloadable) here.