2015 Victims in Focus - European and Domestic Perspectives
The EU Member States must implement the provisions of the European Directive 201/29/EU on Victims’ Rights into their national laws by 16th November, 2015. http://ec.europa.eu/justice/criminal/victims/index_en.htm.
In recognition of the major implications of the implementation of this Directive for all organs of our Criminal Justice System, the ACJRD 18th Annual Conference held on Friday, 2nd October, 2015, in the Spencer Hotel, IFSC, Dublin 1, provided a forum for the dissemination of information and discussion with international and national experts through a number of plenary and workshop sessions.
The report includes the following plenary papers:
Launch of Conference
Presenter: The Hon. Ms. Justice Mary Ellen Ring
The Victims' Rights Directive - Challenges and Expectations
Presenter: Katarzyna Janicka-Pawlowska, Directorate General of Justice, European Commission
Keywords: Victims; Victims' rights; Directive; Crime; The European Parliament & Council.
About Politics and Rights - Restorative Justice in the Victims’ Directive
Presenter: Dr. Katrien Lauwaert, Senior Researcher at the Leuven Institute of Criminology (LINC) of the University of Leuven and the European Forum for Restorative Justice
Keywords: Victims' Directive; Restorative Justice; Crime; RJ Services; Victims' Rights.
Implementing the Victims’ Directive: Challenges and Good Practices
Presenter: Stephen Meighan, BSc, LLB, Victim Support Europe & Chair, Victim Support Scotland
Keywords: Victim Support; Directive; EU; Programmes
Dealing with Victims and their Families - the DPP Response to the Forthcoming Legislation
Presenter: Claire Loftus, Director of Public Prosecutions
Keywords: Legislation; Victims; DPP; Victims' Directive; Victims' Charter; Ireland.
The Implementation of the Victims’ Directive into Irish Law
Presenter: Maria McDonald, BL
Keywords: Irish Law; Victims' Directive; Criminal Justice; Support Services.
Putting Victims at the Centre of the Garda Service
Presenter: Chief Superintendent Anne Marie McMahon, Director of Training, Garda College
Keywords: Garda; Victims Support; EU Directive; Victims' Rights Legislation; GVSO; ELOs; Support Organisations
The report includes the following workshop summaries:
Violence against Women
Presenters: Dr. Marsha Scott, Chief Executive, Scottish Women’s Aid, and Dr. Eimear Spain, School of Law, University of Limerick
Victim Information Schemes and Victim Focussed Work in Probation Board for Northern Ireland
Presenters: Cheryl Lamont, Acting Director Probation Board for Northern Ireland and Stephanie Weir, Victim Liaison Officer, Probation Board for Northern Ireland
Offenders as Victims: A Peer-led Support Approach
Presenter: Stephen Doyle, Founder & Director, Care After Prison
Access to Justice for Deaf and Disabled Victims of Crime: Identifying Challenges and Recognising the Need for Change
Presenter: Dr. Gillian Harold, Postdoctoral Researcher, University College Cork
Victim Impact Evidence at Sentencing: A Critical Appraisal
Presenter: Tom O’Malley, Senior Lecturer, School of Law, NUI Galway
The Victims’ Directive and Victims of Sex Trafficking: A Frontline Perspective
Presenter: Tara Brown, Volunteer Manager, Ruhama
Guilty as Charged? The Legal and Ethical Dilemmas Posed by Media Coverage of Criminal Trials
Presenter: Dearbhail McDonald, Associate Editor and Legal Editor, The Irish Independent
The Challenges of Applying the European Directive on Victims’ Rights in Cases of Elder Abuse
Presenter: Naomi Feely, Senior Policy Officer, Age Action Ireland