A. Service overview and contact details
Focus of restorative justice (RJ) and restorative practice (RP) activities
Release is a registered charity that supports ex-offenders to live transformed lives. It currently provides four programmes:
- Mentoring people with convictions
- Restorative justice education group work in prison
- Addiction rehabilitation assessment and program placement
- Post-release employment training opportunities
Year of commencement (RJ/RP elements)
2016
Service details
Release
SPADE Centre, North King Street, Dublin 7
D07 CX22
Website: https://www.release.ie/
Email: info@release.ie
Tel: 01 617 4811
Head of service
Philip Larragy, CEO – philipl@release.ie
Staffing structure
Release has a full-time CEO and a part-time administrator. All projects and programmes are delivered by highly trained and committed volunteers.
Staff training in RJ/RP
The CEO trained as a restorative justice facilitator with the International Institute for Restorative Practices and in restorative practices with One in Four. Holds a qualification as a Tutor for The Sycamore Tree Project©.
Use of volunteers
Release relies mainly on volunteers to deliver its services and has a cohort of 50 to 60 volunteers at any one time.
Volunteer training in RJ/RP
The majority of volunteers have completed online training in RJ/RP with an independent training providers.
RJ project in prisons
The Sycamore Tree Programme (STP) is a restorative justice course designed for people with criminal convictions and is delivered in places of detention and prisons across Europe.
STP is registered with Gateway Qualifications as “Understanding the Restorative Justice Process” and learners who pass will receive a Gateway certificate, Level 1 or Level 2, in addition to a course attendance certificate.
The course is open to those who are incarcerated, whether in secure training establishments, young offender institutions or prisons, and to learners of any age, gender, race, or faith and of any ability. It is not offered to sex offenders.
The course teaches learners an understanding of the restorative process while helping them become aware of the impact of their crime on victims, family and community. Learners start to understand their individual responsibility for their actions and what they can do to repair the damage they have caused.
The Sycamore Tree Programme is not a faith-based course, but takes its name from the story of Zacchaeus (or Zac) and his encounter with Jesus (Luke 19:1-10). The story enables learners to explore the effects of crime (on victims, offenders, and the community).
The course is delivered over 6 sessions (normally 2.5-3 hours of classroom work each week). Each class is normally comprised of 20 learners. Release provides 1 tutor and 4-6 facilitators. The tutor guides the main discussion and the facilitators interact in small group settings
The aim of each weekly session is as follows:
Week 1 – learners are introduced to restorative justice and their awareness of crime and its victims is raised through the story of Zac.
Week 2 – designed to enable learners to understand the wider impact of their crime and their personal responsibility towards victims.
Week 3 – expose learners to the pain suffered by victims and understand the benefits of forgiveness. Normally includes a presentation by surrogate victims.
Week 4 – enable learners to understand that reconciliation can result from taking responsibility for your actions and may include restitution, confession, repentance and forgiveness.
Week 5 – enable learners to plan the steps to take in their own lives to implement a restorative process.
Week 6 – encourage learners to participate in a symbolic act of restitution witnessed by others.
Each session will include the main teaching portion from the tutor to the whole class, followed by small group discussions from a set of questions and responses. The learner has workbooks to complete during the week between sessions. These are used for course grading.
Main source(s) of funding
Release relies for its funding on donations from a range of funding organisations and individuals. Volunteers donate their time.
Annual budget
€120,000
Nature of funding
Donations
Organisational status
Release is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee. It is governed by a Board of Directors.
Target client group
Adult offenders and former prisoners
Nature of offences
Not limited to specific categories
Source of referrals
Self-referrals and referrals by prison staff
Geographic area of activity
Nationwide
B. Nature of RJ/RP service
RJ/RP services provided
Release seeks to carry out all aspects of its business in a restorative manner. Its mentoring programme matches mentors with serving prisoners and builds a support relationship that continues into the community post-release.
Activity levels
In 2025, Release worked with 200+ clients.
Community participation
Services are delivered in the main by community volunteers.
Offence breakdown
Not applicable
Offender age and gender breakdown
Participants range from 21 to 75, and are of all genders.
Outcomes
Over 200 prisoners have passed with a QQI Level 3 Diploma in understanding restorative justice.
Our Social Enterprise/work training project employs an average of ten people.
We place up to twelve people coming from prison to residential addiction recovery centres annually.
C. Sources of further information
Websites
Release: https://www.release.ie/
Charities Regulator: https://www.charitiesregulator.ie/en/information-for-the-public/search-the-register-of-charities/charity-detail?srchstr=Release®id=20107994