Website of the Month: The Restorative Justice Ireland Network.
The Restorative Justice Ireland Network (RJIN) was established in 1997 as a partnership between the Extern Organisation of Belfast and the Irish Penal Reform Trust of Dublin. The Network seeks to raise awareness of and stimulate interest in restorative justice throughout Ireland.
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organized conferences and workshops on both sides of the border,
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produced a directory of persons and agencies interested in restorative justice,
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circulated bulletins and information to a wide range of opinion formers,
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developed this Web page.
The RJIN website covers various restorative justice programmes in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, striving to provide a sense of the diversity of restorative justice thought and practice. The site offers
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helpful contacts,
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information on accessing the network's research database,
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notification of conferences and training opportunities.
The "RJ Is" link provides a summary of the standards of restorative justice. Another essays attempts to answer the question "Do RJ practices really work".
The "RJ in Ireland" link discusses the issues and tensions affecting the processes of introducing and implementing restorative justice practices in this divided nation:
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Northern Ireland's decades of civil unrest,
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sectarian strife and political division resulting in the heavy politicization of the restorative justice movement;
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the Republic of Ireland's considerable interest but limited exposure to RJ.
The page also provides links to particular programmes established around the country and information on pending legislation.
The "RESEARCH AND RESOURCES" link provides information on the EXTERN Organization's research collection in Belfast. There is also a listing of papers related to restorative justice with some linking to the full-text.
The "LINKS" button connects with a list of websites for
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popular media in Ireland;
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Irish governmental, community, charitable and voluntary organizations;
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International NGO and country-specific governmental involved in RJ;
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universities and colleges involved in restorative justice research.
http://www.extern.org/restorative/
By Susan Sheldon
October 2001
