Jump in restorative-justice referrals – study
Research conducted by Maynooth University has found that there was a significant increase in referrals to restorative justice within the criminal-justice process last year.
Restorative justice is a process that allows those harmed by a crime and those responsible for that crime to communicate in a safe way, if they wish to do so.
Maynooth University School of Law and Criminology carried out the study in collaboration with the Probation Service and six community-based providers of restorative justice.
Increase of 22%
The research found that these organisations received 1,030 restorative-justice referrals in 2025 – a 22.3% increase compared with the 842 recorded the previous year.
The 2025 figure was the highest since the project, Restorative Justice: Strategies for Change, began mapping the use of restorative justice in 2019.
The study found that 185 restorative-justice processes last year were completed involving direct or indirect dialogue between the victim and the offender.
This was a 36% year-on-year increase compared with the 136 cases identified 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.
The study also collected data on An Garda Síochána’s use of restorative justice with youth cautions. The data suggest that there were 369 restorative youth cautions in 2025 – up 23.8% from 2024.
Rise ‘welcome and hugely positive’
“It is great to see data suggesting that judges and probation officers are making greater use of restorative justice,” said research lead Dr Ian Marder (Associate Professor in Criminology, Maynooth University).
“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,” he stated.
Fíona Ní Chinnéide (deputy director, Probation Service) described the increase in referrals as “welcome and hugely positive”.
The researchers said that funding for restorative justice provision also expanded in 2025, allowing existing community-based providers to hire new staff in Donegal, Sligo, Cavan, Monaghan, and Louth.