Press release – New research finds year-on-year increase in restorative justice referrals and victim participation in 2025 

• Growing restorative justice caseloads: In 2025, restorative justice referrals by court and probation increased by 22% year-on-year to 1030 cases – the highest number recorded since mapping began in 2019.
• Victim-offender dialogue: In 2025, at least 185 restorative justice processes involved direct or indirect dialogue between victims and people who offended, a 36% increase from 2024.
• Expansion of services: In 2025, specialist restorative justice provision expanded to several new counties, including Donegal, Sligo, Cavan, Monaghan and Louth.

Research from Maynooth University School of Law and Criminology, conducted in collaboration with the Probation Service and community-based restorative justice providers, has again found significant year-on-year increases in referrals to restorative justice within the criminal justice process.

The Probation Service and six funded community-based organisations (Athy Alternative Project, the Cornmarket Project, Le Chéile Mentoring, Northwest Restorative Justice Service, Restorative Justice in the Community and Restorative Justice Services) offer restorative justice in cases where a person is convicted of an offence. An explanation of what restorative justice involves and the organisations that deliver it in Ireland can be found on Citizens’ Information here.

The research found that these organisations received a total of 1030 restorative justice referrals in 2025, up from 842 referrals in 2024 – a 22.3% year-on-year increase.

These are the highest referral numbers since Restorative Justice: Strategies for Change, a project which maps the use of restorative justice in Ireland on an annual basis, began in 2019.

Following a dip in referrals during and after COVID-19, the 2025 figures represent a 42.9% increase on the 721 referrals made to these organisations in 2019.

Also in 2025, 185 restorative justice processes were completed involving direct or indirect dialogue between the victim and the person who offended against them. This is a 36% year-on-year increase compared with the 136 cases identified as involving victims in a restorative process in 2024.

Of the remaining cases completed in 2025, many involved offences without direct victims. In others, victims may have declined to participate or were not contactable by restorative justice providers.

Funding for restorative justice provision also expanded in 2025, allowing existing community-based restorative justice providers to hire new staff in Donegal, Sligo, Cavan, Monaghan and Louth.

The study also collected data on An Garda Síochána’s use of restorative justice with youth cautions. The data suggest there were 369 restorative youth cautions in 2025, up 23.8% from 298 restorative youth cautions in 2024.

Research lead Dr. Ian Marder, Associate Professor in Criminology, Maynooth University, said: ‘It is great to see data suggesting that judges and probation officers are making greater use of restorative justice. Restorative justice has a strong evidence base: it can help victims recover from crime, meet victims’ needs and support people to stop committing crime. More investment is required to ensure all victims and offenders are offered the opportunity to participate voluntarily in restorative justice.’

Fíona Ní Chinnéide, Deputy Director, Probation Service, said: ‘The significant increase in referrals for restorative justice is both welcome and hugely positive, as it speaks to the impact restorative justice can have for victims of crime and those who have caused harm.

‘Repairing harm, promoting desistance, and making communities safer are central to the core work of the Probation Service. In line with the Probation Service’s Restorative Justice Action Plan 2025-2027, restorative justice can now be accessed in every county. Provision and access will increase as Community-Based Organisations, funded by the Probation Service, expand their reach.

‘Ultimately, this will be hugely beneficial, as restorative justice is a safe and mediated space for those who have been impacted by crime to seek answers and express how they have been affected. For those who have caused harm, it’s a challenging and controlled environment in which to understand the real impact of their actions, take meaningful responsibility and chart a path to reintegration while making worthwhile and positive contributions.

‘It is important that we build on the increase in referrals to ensure that all victims of crime have the right information about restorative justice: how it works and how they can access it if they so choose. We will do this by collaborating cross-sectorally.’

The 2025 Programme for Government states that the Government will ‘continue to roll out nationally the voluntary restorative justice programme’.

The Probation Service also published a Restorative Justice Action Plan for 2025-2027, outlining plans to expand service provision, increase restorative justice referrals, and collaborate with organisations across the criminal justice sector to improve access to restorative justice.

To see the full dataset from 2025, click here.

To see a full overview and analysis of the 2025 data, click here.

For further information, please contact Dr Ian Marder on ian.marder@mu.ie