Call for Submissions: Special Issue on the Independent Sentencing Review [England & Wales]
The Criminal Justice Alliance, in partnership with The British Journal of Community Justice, is pleased to announce a call for submissions to an upcoming special issue with the working title: ‘Reactions to the 2025 Independent Sentencing Review’. Deadline for abstracts: 11 July. Click here to access information on the CJA website.
Policing and Society Conference ‘De-escalation’ [1-2 October, Iceland] call for abstracts.
The Policing and Society Conference is a venue where Icelandic and international academics and professionals meet and converse about policing in a broad sense. This year’s conference theme is De-escalation. Deadline: 15 August 2025. Click here for more information.
AI bias in law enforcement - a practical guide
This new report from Europol's Innovation Lab tackles the critical issue of AI bias in law enforcement, highlighting its potential harms and providing strategies to detect and mitigate bias. Click here to access AI bias in law enforcement report.
Understanding and mitigating bias to harness AI responsibly
This Europol report provides a deeper understanding of the issue and explores methods to prevent, identify, and mitigate risks at various stages of AI deployment. The report aims to provide law enforcement with clear guidelines on how to deploy AI technologies while safeguarding fundamental rights. Click here to access Understanding and mitigating bias to harness AI responsibly.
Women’s Aid Impact Report launched
The Women’s Aid Women’s Aid Annual Impact Report 2024 revealed that it has recorded the highest level of both contacts by victim-survivors and disclosures of domestic abuse in its 50-years history. Click here for the press release and to view the impact report.
New report recommends specialist legal service for children
The Irish Times, 17 June 2025. A new report by Caoilfhoinn Gallagher, Ireland’s child protection rapporteur, has made a key recommendation for the establishment of a specialist children’s legal service with a particular focus on the practice and promotion of child-friendly justice. It recommends that priorities should be reviewed to ensure commitments in relation to children’s rights include an access to justice component. Click here to view the article in The Irish Times.
Commissioner Harris Defends Garda Reforms Amid Criticism in Final Report
RTE, 9 June 2025. Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has released a report outlining significant changes made under his leadership since 2018. Whilst the report highlights increased public trust and the largest-ever Garda fleet, it has been confronted with criticism by Garda representative bodies. Click here to view the RTE report.
Record Low in Garda Roads Policing Staff
The Irish Times, 4 June 2025. According to figures from the Department of Justice, the quantity of gardaí assigned to roads policing has dropped significantly to a historic low of just 618. This marks a substantial decrease from 1,046 officers in 2009, with reductions observed across all regions. Despite recruitment efforts, campaigners warn that road safety is being compromised, predominantly in areas like Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim, where road deaths have risen. Click here to view the article in the Irish Times.
Record Helpline Contacts Expose Scale of Sexual Violence
The Irish Times, 29 May 2025. In 2024, Dublin Rape Crisis Centre received over 22,000 contacts, a 22% rise from 2023. The surge in contacts underlines the “scale of our sexual violence epidemic.” According to the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre more than half were first-time callers, while also reporting a worrying rise in cases involving physical restraints. Click here to view the article in the Irish Times.
The role of policing in UK economic growth
Commissioned by the Office of the National Police Chief Scientific Adviser, Crest Advisory and RSM Consulting undertook research into the role of UK policing in economic growth. The research sought to understand what evidence exists, as well as conceptualise the links, both evidence and hypothetical, between policing activities and economic impacts. This included recommendations to improve the evidence base and a logic model to better evaluate economic impacts in the future. Click here to read the full report: The role of policing in UK economic growth.
New Report: Major Developments and Trends on Terrorism in Europe in 2024
This flagship report – the only one of its kind in Europe - describes the major developments and trends in the terrorism landscape in the EU in 2024, based on qualitative and quantitative information provided by EU Member States and other Europol partners. Access Europol’s European Union Terrorism Situation and Trend Report 2025 (TE-SAT).
Women attending the sexual assault treatment unit services in the Republic of Ireland: A 7-year review
Sexual assault is pervasive in today's society, with the numbers of those reporting it increasing. In Ireland, 50% of women will experience some form of sexual violence in their lifetime. This review sought to describe the incident details of females presenting to the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit (SATU) network in the Republic of Ireland and to determine associations between incident characteristics and: (1) victim age, (2) presence of injury, (3) victim-perpetrator relationship, and (4) number of assailants. Click here to access the review in the International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics.
Reducing the criminalisation of children in the care system
The Centre for Justice Innovation’s new report, produced in partnership with the Centre for Care, looks at the reasons that children in contact with the social care system face higher risks of criminal justice involvement and explores practical responses. Access Safeguarding Futures: Reducing the risk of criminal justice involvement for children in contact with the social care system.
Global Prison Trends 2025: A Critical Look at Global Justice Systems
The Global Prison Trends 2025 report, published by Penal Reform International and the Thailand Institute of Justice, proposes a comprehensive, evidence-based analysis of primary developments in prison systems and criminal justice worldwide. Click here to view the report.
Eurojust Annual Report 2024
Eurojust, 15 May 2025. In 2024, Eurojust supported almost 13,000 cross-border criminal cases, making it a record holding year for judicial cooperation throughout Europe. Pinnacle factors included over €1 billion in criminal assets frozen, a 25% rise in joint investigation teams, and the introduction of the European Judicial Organised Crime Network (EJOCN). The report highlights Eurojust’s expanding role in tackling serious organised crime and enhancing international justice. Click here for more information.
Symposium Report Expresses Human Rights Risks of AI in Policing
City Law School, 6 June 2025. A symposium at City Law School in London investigated the human rights implications of AI and modern technologies in criminal justice. Topics discussed included live facial recognition, retrospective surveillance, and the absence of transparent legal frameworks governing biometric data use. Experts cautioned that existing practices may infringe on civil liberties, specifically in the absence of robust oversight and consent mechanisms. Click here for more information.
2024 ACJRD Annual Conference Report available to download
The report from the 27th ACJRD Annual Conference: Continuing the Conversation – The Future of Drug Policy in Ireland, is now available to download. Please click here to download.
ACJRD Newsletter and notice submissions
If you have submissions relevant for distribution to personnel working in or associated professionally with the criminal justice system, please send them to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will consider them for our next newsletter and notices.
Also, we sometimes receive submissions at short notice for events, vacancies and opportunities, so be sure to keep an eye on our News section so you don’t miss these.