ICJA 2023 - Penal Policy Reform: Putting Community at the Heart of the Criminal Justice System
The 9th Annual Irish Criminal Justice Agencies Conference took place on Tuesday, 10th October, 2023 in Dublin Castle. The theme for this year’s conference was "Penal Policy Reform: Putting Community at the Heart of the Criminal Justice System",
This annual one day conference is a collaboration of the Department of Justice, Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Irish Prison Service, An Garda Síochána, The Probation Service, Policing Authority, Courts Service, Garda Síochána Inspectorate, Office of the Revenue Commissioners, Parole Board, King’s Inns, Maynooth University, University College Dublin, Limerick University, non-agency Criminal Justice System Actors and the Association for Criminal Justice Research and Development (ACJRD). The lead partner for 2023 was The Probation Service.
The Conference Programme can be downloaded here. Links to presentations, when available, will be found on this page. A Conference Report is being prepared for publication at a later date.
The conference included the following plenary presentations:
Conference Welcome and setting the scene
Mark Wilson, Director, The Probation Service introduced by Maura Butler, Chair, ACJRD
Conference Opening
Minister James Brown
Sanctioning and the Public Interest - the Role of the Prosecutor
Presenter: Catherine Pierse, Director of Public Prosecutions
Community Based Sanctions: An Effective Alternative to Prison?
Presenter: Judge Paul Kelly, President of the District Court
Local Community Safety Partnerships: Shared Ownership, Shared Responsibility
Presenter: Ben Ryan, Head of Policy for Criminal Justice, Department of Justice
Creativity in the Criminal Justice System:
- The Transformative Power of the Arts
Presenter: Tom Shortt, Arts Officer, Irish Prison Education Service - Rehabilitation Through Education
Presenter: Pat Sheedy, Author & Winner of Listowel Writers competition - Showcase of Bloom Garden
Presenter: Brian Hogan, Deputy Director Operations, Oberstown Detention Centre
Have Community Sanctions and Measures Widened the Net of the European Criminal Justice Systems?
Presenter: Fergus McNeill, Professor of Criminology and Social Work, University of Glasgow, Scotland
The Guardians of the Peace
Presenter: Assistant Commissioner Paula Hilman, An Garda Síochána
Unmasking the ‘Criminal Justice Voluntary Sector’ in the Republic of Ireland: Towards a Research Agenda
Presenter: Katharina Swirak, Deputy Head of Department of Sociology and Criminology, University College Cork