November update – Mental Health Task Force proposes restorative justice, Restorative Justice Forum established for Blackrock College abuse

Mental Health Task Force proposes diversion to restorative justice

The final report of the Mental Health Task Force proposes a new pilot in which Restorative Justice in the Community will receive referrals directly from Gardaí. This new referral pathway would be a substantial development for restorative justice in Ireland and, if services are expanded accordingly, there is no reason that Gardaí nationwide could not refer many types of cases directly to restorative justice. See pp. 71-73 of the report that can be downloaded via a press release here.

RJS4C Core Member Tim Chapman working with survivors of Blackrock College abuse

RJS4C Ireland Core Member Tim Chapman was in the news last week at a press conference about the restorative justice forum, responding to sexual abuse in Blackrock College. After this, the forum was inundated with new reports and was the topic of a Liveline radio show.

Maynooth hosts screening of The Meeting

This RJ Week, we hosted a screening of The Meeting at Maynooth, followed by an excellent Q&A and panel discussion with Dr. Marie Keenan (UCD), Dr. Sinéad Ring (Maynooth University) and Dr. Gemma Irvine (Maynooth University, Vice President for Equality and Diversity).We also hosted a visit from RJ and gender-based violence scholar  Prof. Noël Busch-Armendariz (University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work). See here for more.

Events, free training and other pieces of possible interest

• Tomorrow (November 25), there is an in-person screening of a new film in Limerick by Le Chéile on the benefits of RJ – register here.
• December 6: an online event by the Mint House (UK) on restorative justice and empathy – register here.
• December 7: an online event on restorative approaches and mediation in housing management – register here.
• December 8: the in-person launch of a new victim information website from the Irish Council for Civil Liberties – register here.
• January 25: a free online training on communicating with victims who use English as a second language – register here.
• Amherst College (US) has organised several free, online training courses in circles and restorative practices – more information is here.
• There is an ongoing public consultation on diversion for young adults in Ireland – check it out and respond here.
• A great blog from the UK on work to develop RP in prison settings – see here.