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Limerick to host event on restorative justice

Limerick’s Thomond Park is to host a conference on restorative justice, entitled ‘Empathy in action: Restorative justice and the human side of harm’, next month.

Le Chéile Mentoring, which delivers youth-justice mentoring and restorative-justice programmes in partnership with the Probation Service, is hosting the event, which brings together justice professionals, academics, community workers, and policymakers.

Minister of State for Justice Niall Collins will open the conference, which takes place on Friday 7 November (10am to 3.30pm).

Bill

Le Chéile Mentoring says that the conference comes at “a pivotal moment”, as a bill aimed at encouraging the use of restorative justice is going through the Oireachtas.

The Criminal Justice (Promotion of Restorative Justice) (Amendment) Bill 2023 aims to amend the Criminal Justice (Victims of Crime) Act 2017 to permit and encourage courts, gardaí and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to refer cases to restorative-justice schemes.

“The presence on the day of Minister Collins, along with all our colleagues from the justice and youth-work sector, is an important indication and celebration of how far the restorative-justice movement has come in Ireland,” said Alan Quinn (regional manager, Le Chéile Mentoring).

He added, however, that their attendance was also a reminder of how much more scope there was to keep developing the pathways and access to restorative justice.

Speakers

Dr Ian Marder (Associate Professor of Criminology, Maynooth University) will chair the conference.

The speakers include:

• Prof Pat Dolan (UNESCO chair, University of Galway),
• Dr Natalie Walsh (director of entrepreneurial development and co-lead of the empathy studio, University of Galway),
• Marina Cantacuzino MBE (founder, The Forgiveness Project), and
• Pete Wallis (restorative practitioner and author, Oxfordshire Youth Justice Service).

A person who went through the restorative-justice programme will also share their experience.

Attendance is by invitation.