Mapping exercise update, restorative justice in Programme for Government and official reports – spring 2025 update
2nd May 2025

Spring 2025 update – Mapping exercise update, restorative justice in Programme for Government and official reports

Mapping exercise 2024 – update and request for information

Work is underway to map the use of restorative justice in Irish criminal justice in 2024 (see here for our 2023 data). Thanks to the organisations who have submitted data for 2024. If you deliver restorative justice, you would like to submit data, and we have not been in touch about this mapping exercise already, please let me know. Relatedly, our service map includes profiles of organisations that use restorative justice or restorative practices in criminal justice contexts in Ireland. If you would like to update your profile or submit a profile for the first time, please let me know.

Programme for Government 2025 includes restorative justice

Following the inclusion of restorative justice in the Programme for Government 2020, it is good to see the retention of a reference in the 2025 PfG, which states: ‘The Government will […] Continue to roll out nationally the voluntary restorative justice programme’ (p.119). For information about the expansion of restorative justice to new counties in 2024, see this response to a Parliamentary Question from January.

Restorative justice in official reports

  • Restorative Justice Services have published their 2023 annual report – see here.
  • The 2023 Probation Service annual report lists restorative justice as one of its three core contributions (p.7) and discusses this work in more detail (pp.25-27) – see here.
  • A review of Community Based Organisations for the Probation Service calls for multi-annual funding  (p.1) and proposed establishing a national restorative justice organisation (p.18) – see here.
  • The Office of the Inspector of Prisons used restorative circles with people in prison to develop its new Inspection Framework (p.8) and discusses RJ training for prison staff (p.20, p.23) – see here.

Jobs, events, research, media

  • Le Chéile is hiring a coordinator for their mentoring and restorative justice service in Galway (deadline 6 May) – see here.
  • Cabra Community Policing Forum is seeking a Project Officer with experience of restorative practice (deadline 28 June) – see here.
  • Prof. Marie Keenan is organising a seminar and book launch on Transforming Justice Responses to Non-Recent Institutional Abuse (29 May) – see here.
  • Maynooth University is hosting national conferences on criminology (24-25 June, see here) and youth work (8 June, see here).
  • The Mint House is hosting webinars on Relational and Restorative Organisations (18 June, see here) and Police and Community Listening Circles (16 July, see here).
  • Restorative justice was mentioned in recent newspaper articles on penal reform (The Journal) and court practices (Irish Times).
  • Podcasts: to hear a victim of domestic abuse discuss her experience of restorative justice, click here. You may also be interested in the Perspectives on Prevention series – click here.