Northern Ireland

Provides a listing of articles on restorative justice developments in Northern Ireland. Articles appear in the order in which they were added to the site with the most recent appearing first.

Platforms for a restorative society in Northern Ireland: This text argues that promoting restorative practices – through actions that remedy wrongs, actions that bring people who have been estranged into relationships, new ways of working and new structural arrangements – is a practical way of building platforms of reconciliation practice and a restorative culture in daily life in Northern Ireland.
Platforms for a restorative society in Northern Ireland: from the abstract of a concept paper by Dr. Derek Wilson: Reconciliation has been an important concept in building relationships and structures in Northern Ireland that lessen the harm done to people in the midst of conflict. It is also an important concept in the language of Track One, Two and Three conflict transformation strategies. Central to reconciliation is the promotion of right relationships and the securing of agreements and structural arrangements that build a new acknowledgement and respect between those seen as ‘different others’. Such work seeks to right previous imbalances and wrongs. Important elements of that agenda in Northern Ireland include the drive for legal remedies and new laws on equality, good relations, human rights, harassment and hate crime, and the exploration of how the past is acknowledged and how victims are respected and remembered. As a transcending idea, reconciliation continually challenges current ways of living with different and previously estranged others. However, it is a concept that many men and women have difficulty applying to their own actions. There is a tendency to see it as an activity for others in important positions, rather than as something all citizens must contribute to as part of their daily endeavours.
More on restorative youth justice in Northern Ireland: We received a note from Martin Wright with these additional thoughts on the report from Northern Ireland that was released last week: Northern Ireland seems to be going well, with only three reservations: 1. juveniles only 2. run by the state -- not much community ownership 3. and putting pressure on the community-based programmes (which Harry Mika and Kieran McEvoy have written about) by competing for funding and referrals -- rather like WalMart putting small shopkeepers out of business!
Making amends: restorative youth justice in Northern Ireland: On 29 October 2009, the Prison Reform Trust published a report on the development and effectiveness of Northern Ireland's Youth Conference Service.
Justice group welcome: from Saoirse32: A Unionist councillor has welcomed news that a community restorative justice scheme in Newry and south Armagh has received official government status. The CRJ scheme, based in Mullaghbawn, received government accreditation on Thursday following an inspection by Criminal Justice Inspection NI (CJI). The inspection reported that the UN principles on Restorative Justice were being observed by the organisation and that senior police officers working in Newry and south Armagh indicated that a relationship which held promise for the future is developing.
Thinking Aloud programme on restorative justice in Northern Ireland: from the Thinking Aloud website at BBC: What is the best way to settle a dispute, and if you are a victim of crime what is the best way to get justice? Laurie Taylor finds out about an alternative to police and courts and the conventional criminal justice system. The idea of restorative justice is to try to find a new way to settle arguments and bring justice so that offenders and victims can carry on living side by side. Can bringing victims and culprits together to talk or making a guilty party compensate the injured one provide the answer? And can it work for all crimes, however serious? Laurie talks to Anna Eriksson and Heather Strang about the use of restorative justice in Northern Ireland. For countries with a long history of violence in their communities, can restorative justice be used to heal the wounds?
Eriksson, Anna. A Bottom-Up Approach to Transformative Justice in Northern Ireland.: This article explores community-based restorative justice projects run by political ex-prisoners and former combatants in Northern Ireland, initiatives which are dealing with everyday crime and conflict in local communities in a period of transition. It is argued that restorative justice can act as a facilitator, both for individuals within the community and between communities and the state, when violence-supporting norms are expected to be replaced by nonviolent approaches to conflict and its resolution. The article also argues for a greater role for criminological approaches to crime, punishment and justice within transitions, recognising the strengths of criminology to address underlying causes of continued violence in postconflict settings. In particular, this article investigates attempts by these initiatives to build bridges between historically estranged communities and the police, and argues for the possibility of restorative justice becoming a catalyst for transformative justice during times of rapid social change. (author's abstract)
Harry Mika. COMMUNITY-BASED PEACEBUILDING:A CASE STUDY FROM NORTHERN IRELAND1: Drawing upon a careful assessment of community efforts to reduce paramilitary punishment violence in Loyalist and Republican working class areas of Northern Ireland, this paper explores the impact of former combatants as agents of the peace process. Conventional terrorist, peacekeeping (DDR), and transitional justice discourses largely discount even the possibility of a competing model of justice ‘from below,’ an orientation that seeks to leverage ‘local’ stakes in reconciliation, regeneration, development and sustainable peace. Findings of a multiyear evaluation of community-based restorative justice innovation are reviewed, involving the active participation and leadership of ex-combatants and the cooperation of paramilitary formations.
McEvoy, Kieran. Re-imagining DDR Ex-combatants, leadership and moral agency in conflict transformation: Drawing upon criminological studies in the field of prisoner rehabilitation, this essay explores the relevance of the Demobilisation, Disarmament and Reintegration (DDR) framework to the process of conflict transformation in Northern Ireland. In a similar fashion to the critique of ‘passivity’ offered by, for example, the ‘strengths based’ or ‘good lives’ approach to prisoner resettlement and reintegration more generally, the authors contend that the Northern Ireland peace process offers conspicuous examples of former prisoners and combatants as agents and indeed leaders in the process of conflict transformation. They draw out three broad styles of leadership which have emerged amongst ex-combatants over the course of the Northern Ireland transition from conflict—political, military and communal. They suggest that cumulatively such leadership speaks to the potential of ex-prisoners and ex-combatants as moral agents in conflict transformation around which peacemaking can be constructed rather than as obstacles which must be ‘managed’ out of existence. (author's abstract)
McEvoy, Kieran. Re-imagining DDR.: Drawing upon criminological studies in the field of prisoner rehabilitation, this essay explores the relevance of the Demobilisation, Disarmament and Reintegration (DDR) framework to the process of conflict transformation in Northern Ireland. In a similar fashion to the critique of `passivity' offered by, for example, the `strengths based' or `good lives' approach to prisoner resettlement and reintegration more generally, the authors contend that the Northern Ireland peace process offers conspicuous examples of former prisoners and combatants as agents and indeed leaders in the process of conflict transformation. They draw out three broad styles of leadership which have emerged amongst ex-combatants over the course of the Northern Ireland transition from conflict— political, military and communal. They suggest that cumulatively such leadership speaks to the potential of ex-prisoners and ex-combatants as moral agents in conflict transformation around which peacemaking can be constructed rather than as obstacles which must be `managed' out of existence. (author's abstract)
Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland. Youth Conference Service. Inspection of the Youth Conference Service in Northern Ireland.: This inspection looked at how young offenders are dealt with through the Youth Conference Service (YCS). It followed on from a comprehensive evaluation of the service conducted early in its development by Queens University Belfast (QUB)1. It assessed the service in terms of the CJI inspection framework at a point in time when the service was receiving on average around 2000 referrals a year. Inspectors found that the YCS was delivering an effective and useful service but that it was operating at the boundary of its capacity under its present structures and resources. Staff and management were totally committed to providing a restorative system that worked for the young offenders as well as for victims and they were focused on getting the balance right between the needs of offenders and victims. The key recommendation of this Inspection is that a full system-wide review into current practices in youth offending is now needed with the aim of developing a clearer and more integrated system with restorative practice at its core. (excerpt)
Lundy, Patricia and McGovern, Mark. A Trojan Horse? Unionism, Trust and Truth-telling in Northern Ireland.: The aim of this article is to examine the relationship between trust, testimony and truth recovery processes as part of post-conflict transition. The paper uses the case study of unionist attitudes toward a community-based truth-telling project in Northern Ireland to demonstrate the impact an absence of trust can have upon what the French philosopher Paul Ricoeur has described as the ‘space of controversy’ that emerges between the ‘certification’ and the ‘accreditation’ of testimony. The paper suggests such distrust is a legacy, not only of conflict, but also of the particular circumstances of transition and the specific mechanisms of truth recovery adopted. Ultimately the paper argues for a holistic, community-centred approach towards truth-telling and raises issues relevant to other violently divided societies undergoing transition and grappling with ways in which to deal with the legacy of political conflict. (author's abstract)
Monaghan, Rachel. Community-Based Justice in Northern Ireland and South Africa.: South Africa and Northern Ireland have experienced bitter ethnonational conflicts in which the transition to a peaceful political settlement has been characterized by crime and violence. In the case of Northern Ireland, this transition is still ongoing. This article examines the alternative policing and informal justice mechanisms, which have developed in the townships of South Africa and within the working-class districts of Northern Ireland. These mechanisms offer the inhabitants of such areas instant redress and retributive justice. This article is also concerned with the community-based restorative justice projects, which have been established in certain areas within both countries and examines whether such projects have an impact on vigilante attacks in South Africa and paramilitary "punishments" in Northern Ireland. (author's abstract)
Rolston, Bill. "Demobilization and Reintegration of Ex-Combatants: the Irish Case in International Perspective": This article surveys the literature on the global experience of demobilization and reintegration of combatants after wars end. It examines the factors that contribute to successful programmes. Among these, the two most frequently emphasized are the political will of all concerned to ensure the programmes work, and the active participation of ex-combatants in their own programmes of reintegration. The article then examines the situation in Ireland. In ways reintegration has failed, and for the same reasons as elsewhere. At the same time, the Irish case shows elements of success to match the best of reintegration programmes worldwide – not least the contribution of highly politicized ex-prisoners to their own reintegration and to conflict transformation more generally. These similarities have emerged in the relative absence of any involvement of the international community in demobilization and reintegration in Ireland, and indeed without direct comparisons made to good practice elsewhere. (author's abstract).
McGloin, Jean Marie. "A Historical Consideration of the Police and Prosecution/Courts in Northern Ireland": The Good Friday Agreement of 1998 was a catalyst of pervasive change for Northern Ireland. In setting the stage for a pluralistic democracy, it advocated for a change in the paradigm of policing, from the colonial toward the Anglo-Saxon model. Comparatively little is known about the prosecutorial/court service in Northern Ireland, however, especially regarding its relation to the police. This article attempts to fill this void by considering whether the police, prosecution, and court systems have been in paradigmatic balance during Northern Ireland’s social history. It does so by applying Mawby’s metric of legitimacy, structure, and function. By focusing on secondary data relevant to these three characteristics, this article argues that although it was in sync under a colonial paradigm, there is the potential for imbalance as the police force illustrates a stronger commitment toward an Anglo-Saxon paradigm. After providing evidence for this thesis, the article discusses the implications of this imbalance. author's abstract
Chapman, Tim. Learning to be Restorative.: The development of restorative justice in Northern Ireland is set in the context of a history of violent civil conflict and the contested nature of the relationship between the state and local communities. The peace process has included a fundamental review of criminal justice. One of its conclusions was to develop restorative justice for young people who commit criminal offences. In Northern Ireland there is a thriving community restorative justice sector. However, its relationship with the state sector is problematic due political issues over policing. The Police Service for Northern Ireland use restorative processes for the cautioning of young people. More recently the Youth Conference Service, part of the Youth Justice Agency, has been established to provide youth conferences for young people who have persisted in their offending. Youth conferences include the young person responsible for the harm, his or her family and supporters, the person who has been harmed, his or her supporters, a police officer and a youth conference co-ordinator. Only the most serious criminal offences (e.g. murder) are excluded from conferences. As long as the young person consents, a conference is held in almost every case in Northern Ireland. (excerpt)
Chapman, Alice and McAllister, Mary Jo. No soft solution, the effectiveness of youth conferencing in Northern Ireland -- How victims and offenders of serious crime prefer it to the traditional system.: The Belfast Agreement 1998 set out new directions for government in Northern Ireland including criminal justice. It formed the Criminal Justice Review to review the whole criminal justice system and to produce a range of recommendations. Amongst many other matters it recommended that restorative justice should be at the core of the Northern Irish youth justice system. Subsequently the Justice [NI] Act 2002 provided legislation for the establishment of the Youth Justice Agency and the Youth Conference Service to facilitate youth conferences according to restorative justice principles. A restorative youth conference is available for any offence except an offence for which if the young person was an adult would require a period of life imprisonment.(excerpt)
McEvoy, Lesley and McEvoy, Kieran and McConnachie, Kirsten and McEvoy, Kieran. Reconciliation as a Dirty Word: Conflict, Community Relations and Education in Northern Ireland.: "I am not really interested in reconciliation. It is a term that has been so used and abused; it's a dirty word as far as I am concerned." The comment above emerged in fieldwork undertaken by one of the authors on the role of ex-combatants in the peace process in Northern Ireland. At first glance, it appeared somewhat paradoxical. The individual concerned, a former Irish Repbulican Army (IRA) activist, has been involved in reconciliation work for almost ten years: finding alternatives to violent punishments against anti-social offenders and reconciling these individuals with their victims and communities as well as cross community work with Loyalist activists. Despite this involvement in challenging and practical aspects of reconciliation, this man and many of his Republican and Loyalist counterparts are deeply suspicious of the term. This paper explores that disconnect. (excerpt)
Northern Ireland Office. Draft Protocol for Community-based Restorative Justice Schemes.: This paper recognises the finding of the Review of Criminal Justice that community-based restorative justice schemes (“schemes”) can have a role to play in dealing with the types of low-level crime that most commonly concern local communities. It seeks to establish a framework for relations between the criminal justice system and the community-based schemes by setting in place a Protocol for the operation of the schemes in line with the Review’s recommendations. That framework is based on schemes’ compliance with the rule of law and full cooperation with statutory agencies, including the police, in implementing this Protocol. (excerpt)
Clamp, Kerry Leigh. The Politics of Restorative Justice in Juvenile Justice Reform: A Comparative Analysis of Two Transitional States: Both Northern Ireland and South Africa, in the wake of their respective political transitions, have formulated proposals for reform of their youth justice systems based upon restorative principles, which have largely been well received in Northern Ireland, yet have struggled to be implemented successfully in South Africa. The perceived purpose of conducting this investigation is that while restorative justice has been successfully implemented in a number of countries and cultural contexts, there still remains an unanswered question about the transferability of the approach, and the conditions under which it is likely to take root within different jurisdictions. (excerpt)

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Articles appear in the order in which they were added to the site with the most recent appearing first. Platforms for a restorative society in Northern Ireland This text argues that promoting restorative practices – through actions that remedy wrongs, actions that bring people who have been estranged into relationships, new ways of working and new structural arrangements – is a practical way of building platforms of reconciliation practice and a restorative culture in daily life in Northern Ireland. Platforms for a restorative society in Northern Ireland from the abstract of a concept paper by Dr. Derek Wilson: Reconciliation has been an important concept in building relationships and structures in Northern Ireland that lessen the harm done to people in the midst of conflict. It is also an important concept in the language of Track One, Two and Three conflict transformation strategies. Central to reconciliation is the promotion of right relationships and the securing of agreements and structural arrangements that build a new acknowledgement and respect between those seen as ‘different others’. Such work seeks to right previous imbalances and wrongs. Important elements of that agenda in Northern Ireland include the drive for legal remedies and new laws on equality, good relations, human rights, harassment and hate crime, and the exploration of how the past is acknowledged and how victims are respected and remembered. As a transcending idea, reconciliation continually challenges current ways of living with different and previously estranged others. However, it is a concept that many men and women have difficulty applying to their own actions. There is a tendency to see it as an activity for others in important positions, rather than as something all citizens must contribute to as part of their daily endeavours. More on restorative youth justice in Northern Ireland We received a note from Martin Wright with these additional thoughts on the report from Northern Ireland that was released last week: Northern Ireland seems to be going well, with only three reservations: 1. juveniles only 2. run by the state -- not much community ownership 3. and putting pressure on the community-based programmes (which Harry Mika and Kieran McEvoy have written about) by competing for funding and referrals -- rather like WalMart putting small shopkeepers out of business! Making amends: restorative youth justice in Northern Ireland On 29 October 2009, the Prison Reform Trust published a report on the development and effectiveness of Northern Ireland's Youth Conference Service. Justice group welcome from Saoirse32: A Unionist councillor has welcomed news that a community restorative justice scheme in Newry and south Armagh has received official government status. The CRJ scheme, based in Mullaghbawn, received government accreditation on Thursday following an inspection by Criminal Justice Inspection NI (CJI). The inspection reported that the UN principles on Restorative Justice were being observed by the organisation and that senior police officers working in Newry and south Armagh indicated that a relationship which held promise for the future is developing. Thinking Aloud programme on restorative justice in Northern Ireland from the Thinking Aloud website at BBC: What is the best way to settle a dispute, and if you are a victim of crime what is the best way to get justice? Laurie Taylor finds out about an alternative to police and courts and the conventional criminal justice system. The idea of restorative justice is to try to find a new way to settle arguments and bring justice so that offenders and victims can carry on living side by side. Can bringing victims and culprits together to talk or making a guilty party compensate the injured one provide the answer? And can it work for all crimes, however serious? Laurie talks to Anna Eriksson and Heather Strang about the use of restorative justice in Northern Ireland. For countries with a long history of violence in their communities, can restorative justice be used to heal the wounds? Eriksson, Anna. A Bottom-Up Approach to Transformative Justice in Northern Ireland. This article explores community-based restorative justice projects run by political ex-prisoners and former combatants in Northern Ireland, initiatives which are dealing with everyday crime and conflict in local communities in a period of transition. It is argued that restorative justice can act as a facilitator, both for individuals within the community and between communities and the state, when violence-supporting norms are expected to be replaced by nonviolent approaches to conflict and its resolution. The article also argues for a greater role for criminological approaches to crime, punishment and justice within transitions, recognising the strengths of criminology to address underlying causes of continued violence in postconflict settings. In particular, this article investigates attempts by these initiatives to build bridges between historically estranged communities and the police, and argues for the possibility of restorative justice becoming a catalyst for transformative justice during times of rapid social change. (author's abstract) Harry Mika. COMMUNITY-BASED PEACEBUILDING:A CASE STUDY FROM NORTHERN IRELAND1 Drawing upon a careful assessment of community efforts to reduce paramilitary punishment violence in Loyalist and Republican working class areas of Northern Ireland, this paper explores the impact of former combatants as agents of the peace process. Conventional terrorist, peacekeeping (DDR), and transitional justice discourses largely discount even the possibility of a competing model of justice ‘from below,’ an orientation that seeks to leverage ‘local’ stakes in reconciliation, regeneration, development and sustainable peace. Findings of a multiyear evaluation of community-based restorative justice innovation are reviewed, involving the active participation and leadership of ex-combatants and the cooperation of paramilitary formations. McEvoy, Kieran. Re-imagining DDR Ex-combatants, leadership and moral agency in conflict transformation Drawing upon criminological studies in the field of prisoner rehabilitation, this essay explores the relevance of the Demobilisation, Disarmament and Reintegration (DDR) framework to the process of conflict transformation in Northern Ireland. In a similar fashion to the critique of ‘passivity’ offered by, for example, the ‘strengths based’ or ‘good lives’ approach to prisoner resettlement and reintegration more generally, the authors contend that the Northern Ireland peace process offers conspicuous examples of former prisoners and combatants as agents and indeed leaders in the process of conflict transformation. They draw out three broad styles of leadership which have emerged amongst ex-combatants over the course of the Northern Ireland transition from conflict—political, military and communal. They suggest that cumulatively such leadership speaks to the potential of ex-prisoners and ex-combatants as moral agents in conflict transformation around which peacemaking can be constructed rather than as obstacles which must be ‘managed’ out of existence. (author's abstract) McEvoy, Kieran. Re-imagining DDR. Drawing upon criminological studies in the field of prisoner rehabilitation, this essay explores the relevance of the Demobilisation, Disarmament and Reintegration (DDR) framework to the process of conflict transformation in Northern Ireland. In a similar fashion to the critique of `passivity' offered by, for example, the `strengths based' or `good lives' approach to prisoner resettlement and reintegration more generally, the authors contend that the Northern Ireland peace process offers conspicuous examples of former prisoners and combatants as agents and indeed leaders in the process of conflict transformation. They draw out three broad styles of leadership which have emerged amongst ex-combatants over the course of the Northern Ireland transition from conflict— political, military and communal. They suggest that cumulatively such leadership speaks to the potential of ex-prisoners and ex-combatants as moral agents in conflict transformation around which peacemaking can be constructed rather than as obstacles which must be `managed' out of existence. (author's abstract) Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland. Youth Conference Service. Inspection of the Youth Conference Service in Northern Ireland. This inspection looked at how young offenders are dealt with through the Youth Conference Service (YCS). It followed on from a comprehensive evaluation of the service conducted early in its development by Queens University Belfast (QUB)1. It assessed the service in terms of the CJI inspection framework at a point in time when the service was receiving on average around 2000 referrals a year. Inspectors found that the YCS was delivering an effective and useful service but that it was operating at the boundary of its capacity under its present structures and resources. Staff and management were totally committed to providing a restorative system that worked for the young offenders as well as for victims and they were focused on getting the balance right between the needs of offenders and victims. The key recommendation of this Inspection is that a full system-wide review into current practices in youth offending is now needed with the aim of developing a clearer and more integrated system with restorative practice at its core. (excerpt) Lundy, Patricia and McGovern, Mark. A Trojan Horse? Unionism, Trust and Truth-telling in Northern Ireland. The aim of this article is to examine the relationship between trust, testimony and truth recovery processes as part of post-conflict transition. The paper uses the case study of unionist attitudes toward a community-based truth-telling project in Northern Ireland to demonstrate the impact an absence of trust can have upon what the French philosopher Paul Ricoeur has described as the ‘space of controversy’ that emerges between the ‘certification’ and the ‘accreditation’ of testimony. The paper suggests such distrust is a legacy, not only of conflict, but also of the particular circumstances of transition and the specific mechanisms of truth recovery adopted. Ultimately the paper argues for a holistic, community-centred approach towards truth-telling and raises issues relevant to other violently divided societies undergoing transition and grappling with ways in which to deal with the legacy of political conflict. (author's abstract) Monaghan, Rachel. Community-Based Justice in Northern Ireland and South Africa. South Africa and Northern Ireland have experienced bitter ethnonational conflicts in which the transition to a peaceful political settlement has been characterized by crime and violence. In the case of Northern Ireland, this transition is still ongoing. This article examines the alternative policing and informal justice mechanisms, which have developed in the townships of South Africa and within the working-class districts of Northern Ireland. These mechanisms offer the inhabitants of such areas instant redress and retributive justice. This article is also concerned with the community-based restorative justice projects, which have been established in certain areas within both countries and examines whether such projects have an impact on vigilante attacks in South Africa and paramilitary "punishments" in Northern Ireland. (author's abstract) Rolston, Bill. "Demobilization and Reintegration of Ex-Combatants: the Irish Case in International Perspective" This article surveys the literature on the global experience of demobilization and reintegration of combatants after wars end. It examines the factors that contribute to successful programmes. Among these, the two most frequently emphasized are the political will of all concerned to ensure the programmes work, and the active participation of ex-combatants in their own programmes of reintegration. The article then examines the situation in Ireland. In ways reintegration has failed, and for the same reasons as elsewhere. At the same time, the Irish case shows elements of success to match the best of reintegration programmes worldwide – not least the contribution of highly politicized ex-prisoners to their own reintegration and to conflict transformation more generally. These similarities have emerged in the relative absence of any involvement of the international community in demobilization and reintegration in Ireland, and indeed without direct comparisons made to good practice elsewhere. (author's abstract). McGloin, Jean Marie. "A Historical Consideration of the Police and Prosecution/Courts in Northern Ireland" The Good Friday Agreement of 1998 was a catalyst of pervasive change for Northern Ireland. In setting the stage for a pluralistic democracy, it advocated for a change in the paradigm of policing, from the colonial toward the Anglo-Saxon model. Comparatively little is known about the prosecutorial/court service in Northern Ireland, however, especially regarding its relation to the police. This article attempts to fill this void by considering whether the police, prosecution, and court systems have been in paradigmatic balance during Northern Ireland’s social history. It does so by applying Mawby’s metric of legitimacy, structure, and function. By focusing on secondary data relevant to these three characteristics, this article argues that although it was in sync under a colonial paradigm, there is the potential for imbalance as the police force illustrates a stronger commitment toward an Anglo-Saxon paradigm. After providing evidence for this thesis, the article discusses the implications of this imbalance. author's abstract Chapman, Tim. Learning to be Restorative. The development of restorative justice in Northern Ireland is set in the context of a history of violent civil conflict and the contested nature of the relationship between the state and local communities. The peace process has included a fundamental review of criminal justice. One of its conclusions was to develop restorative justice for young people who commit criminal offences. In Northern Ireland there is a thriving community restorative justice sector. However, its relationship with the state sector is problematic due political issues over policing. The Police Service for Northern Ireland use restorative processes for the cautioning of young people. More recently the Youth Conference Service, part of the Youth Justice Agency, has been established to provide youth conferences for young people who have persisted in their offending. Youth conferences include the young person responsible for the harm, his or her family and supporters, the person who has been harmed, his or her supporters, a police officer and a youth conference co-ordinator. Only the most serious criminal offences (e.g. murder) are excluded from conferences. As long as the young person consents, a conference is held in almost every case in Northern Ireland. (excerpt) Chapman, Alice and McAllister, Mary Jo. No soft solution, the effectiveness of youth conferencing in Northern Ireland -- How victims and offenders of serious crime prefer it to the traditional system. The Belfast Agreement 1998 set out new directions for government in Northern Ireland including criminal justice. It formed the Criminal Justice Review to review the whole criminal justice system and to produce a range of recommendations. Amongst many other matters it recommended that restorative justice should be at the core of the Northern Irish youth justice system. Subsequently the Justice [NI] Act 2002 provided legislation for the establishment of the Youth Justice Agency and the Youth Conference Service to facilitate youth conferences according to restorative justice principles. A restorative youth conference is available for any offence except an offence for which if the young person was an adult would require a period of life imprisonment.(excerpt) McEvoy, Lesley and McEvoy, Kieran and McConnachie, Kirsten and McEvoy, Kieran. Reconciliation as a Dirty Word: Conflict, Community Relations and Education in Northern Ireland. "I am not really interested in reconciliation. It is a term that has been so used and abused; it's a dirty word as far as I am concerned." The comment above emerged in fieldwork undertaken by one of the authors on the role of ex-combatants in the peace process in Northern Ireland. At first glance, it appeared somewhat paradoxical. The individual concerned, a former Irish Repbulican Army (IRA) activist, has been involved in reconciliation work for almost ten years: finding alternatives to violent punishments against anti-social offenders and reconciling these individuals with their victims and communities as well as cross community work with Loyalist activists. Despite this involvement in challenging and practical aspects of reconciliation, this man and many of his Republican and Loyalist counterparts are deeply suspicious of the term. This paper explores that disconnect. (excerpt) Northern Ireland Office. Draft Protocol for Community-based Restorative Justice Schemes. This paper recognises the finding of the Review of Criminal Justice that community-based restorative justice schemes (“schemes”) can have a role to play in dealing with the types of low-level crime that most commonly concern local communities. It seeks to establish a framework for relations between the criminal justice system and the community-based schemes by setting in place a Protocol for the operation of the schemes in line with the Review’s recommendations. That framework is based on schemes’ compliance with the rule of law and full cooperation with statutory agencies, including the police, in implementing this Protocol. (excerpt) Clamp, Kerry Leigh. The Politics of Restorative Justice in Juvenile Justice Reform: A Comparative Analysis of Two Transitional States Both Northern Ireland and South Africa, in the wake of their respective political transitions, have formulated proposals for reform of their youth justice systems based upon restorative principles, which have largely been well received in Northern Ireland, yet have struggled to be implemented successfully in South Africa. The perceived purpose of conducting this investigation is that while restorative justice has been successfully implemented in a number of countries and cultural contexts, there still remains an unanswered question about the transferability of the approach, and the conditions under which it is likely to take root within different jurisdictions. (excerpt) Next 20 items » [1] 2 3 Document Actions Send this Print this	Africa Asia Europe Latin America Middle East North America and Caribbean Pacific Search 9932 publications on restorative justice Recent RJOB Comments Oakland as a RJ city? Jul 29, 2010 Trauma Jul 29, 2010 Psych Reports to BPT board Jul 29, 2010 More… Slide Show: What is Restorative Justice Click to view a slideshow discussing the definition of restorative justice. Jul 21, 2010 Promoting Restorative Justice in Panama Jul 28, 2010 Raising Community Awareness in Swaziland Jul 28, 2010 Exploring alternatives in Finland Jul 28, 2010 PF Rwanda Receives Grant for Reconciliation Work Jun 27, 2010 Restorative Justice in the Community.