By Simon Keating, Restorative Justice Programme Coordinator, Le Chéile Monitoring

The annual Le Chéile Restorative Justice Conference took place on 7 November at Thomond Park, Limerick. This year’s theme, Empathy in Action: The Human Side of Harm, explored how empathy and restorative practice can break cycles of harm and create more compassionate systems.

Highlights included keynote contributions from Marina Cantacuzino MBE (Forgiveness Project), Prof. Pat Dolan and Dr. Natalie Walsh (University of Galway) and Pete Wallis (Oxfordshire Youth Offending Service). In the afternoon, Janet O’Brien, who participated in restorative justice after her son Luke was killed, and a former participant in Le Chéile’s restorative justice programme, shared their lived experience. The M.C. was Dr. Ian Marder (Maynooth University).

The event aimed to build on previous annual conferences by raising awareness of restorative justice, bringing fellow professionals together from a range of organisations and sectors and highlighting ongoing work in the sector. The conference was opened by Minister of State Niall Collins who spoke of the dedication of those working in the justice sector and praised the work of Le Chéile in Limerick and across Munster as an invaluable alternative to incarceration.

The day provided opportunities for the audience to listen to inspiring and informative presentations. Pat Dolan (Emeritus Professor UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre, University of Galway) gave a thought-provoking presentation titled ‘Empathy from the Personal Journey to a Societal Lens – Reasons to be Hopeful’. Dr Natalie Walsh, Director of Entrepreneurial Development at the University of Galway and Co-Lead, Patient and Public Involvement in Research, delivered her presentation, ‘From Understanding to Action: Empathy as a Driver of Change’, sharing how the Empathy Studio translates empathy research into action using innovative, immersive methods. They highlighted practical examples of how empathy and innovation can be applied to foster understanding, repair harm, and create more compassionate responses.

Pat Dolan, University of Galway, speaking in the morning

Marina Cantacuzino, MBE, author, broadcaster and founder of The Forgiveness Project, a UK-based charity that works with personal narratives, then delivered her presentation, ‘Restorative Narratives: Breaking Cycles of Harm and Creating a More Empathic World’. This was an interesting exploration of how the sharing of restorative stories can lead to a society that is more empathic.

The audience then broke into different workshops. Including:

• ‘Walk in My Shoes: Experiencing Empathy in Restorative Practice’, facilitated by Natalie Walsh.
• ‘Restorative justice and empathy – cultivating the world’s most precious resource’, facilitated by Peter Wallis.
• ‘Should all victims be informed about restorative justice?’ facilitated by Dr. Ian Marder.
• ‘Developing victim empathy in those who have offended’, facilitated by Le Chéile staff David Byrne and Thomas O’Sullivan.
• ‘Enhancing empathy through community service’, facilitated by Emma Gunn, Siobhan Connor and Alison Cantwell from the Probation Service’s Restorative Justice and Victim Services Unit (RJSVU).

The afternoon saw Peter Wallis deliver his presentation, ‘How empathy can close the gap caused by crime: reflecting on 25 years facilitating restorative justice in a youth justice setting’. This was an interesting exploration of his career facilitating restorative justice. Peter is a co-author of  ‘What have I done’, a very useful workbook on victim empathy building that is used all over the world.

The final part of the conference saw Dr. Ian Marder speak with Emma Gunn from the Probation Service’s RJSVU and a victim of crime with whom she worked. They were joined on stage by a former client of Le Chéile who completed the Victim Empathy Programme and participated in a Restorative Justice Meeting, accompanied by the coordinator of the Limerick/Clare Restorative Justice Project, Simon Keating, who worked with them. The restorative justice participants spoke about the complexities of restorative justice and the benefits they experienced. This was a powerful and emotive discussion, and we were very grateful to the participants for sharing their experiences. It was the perfect way to end an inspirational day in promoting the potential and power of restorative justice in Ireland.

On the success of the conference, Alan Quinn, Southern Regional Manager, Le Chéile Mentoring, said: ‘Fifteen years ago, Le Chéile set up a pilot restorative justice project in Limerick in collaboration with the Probation Service. It was a catalyst for restorative justice being recognised as an important resource and intervention in the Irish justice system. It is a priority for us to continue developing, facilitating and raising awareness of restorative justice. This conference is an important way to keep momentum going. It is educational and allows likeminded people with an interest in restorative justice to gather, network and inspire each other. If the energy in the room was anything to go by, restorative justice has an exciting future ahead. Le Chéile is privileged to be a part of that future. I would like to thank every person who attended and played their part in a special day. I ask attendees to tell people what you learned, experienced and felt on the day. Word of mouth is crucial in ensuring more people understand the potential of restorative justice and can avail of it should the need ever arise’.

The conference was covered by Eoin Glackin of the Dublin Inquirer in his article on restorative justice, which can be found here.