Review of Criminal Justice System in Northern Ireland

Criminal Justice Review Group. Northern Ireland Office. Main Report. Belfast: HMSO.

The Belfast Agreement of April 1998 (also known as the Good Friday Agreement) set in motion a review of the entire criminal justice system in Northern Ireland. The review is part of the devolution of political rule to people, structures, and systems within Northern Ireland.  

A Criminal Justice Review Group was commissioned to undertake this review. It consisted of  

• officials of the British government
  

• and independent experts in criminal justice.  

The paper “Review of the Criminal Justice System in Northern Ireland: A Consultation Paper” was released in August 1998 as a framework the group's activities.

The Criminal Justice Review Group final main report was released in March 2000. To inform their work, the Review Group commissioned a number of research reports. In essence, the full work of the Review Group consists of the following components  

• “Review of the Criminal Justice System in Northern Ireland: A Guide.” (2000.)   

• “Review of the Criminal Justice System in  Northern Ireland.” (2000.)   

• 18 Research Reports.

Not all of the materials are specifically concerned with restorative justice; though some are, and some refer to restorative justice elements at points. The whole set of materials is valuable as an attempt at a comprehensive review of a society’s entire criminal justice system and an effort toward transformation of it.

Report Topics:

Attitudes to Crime, Crime Reduction and Community Safety in Northern Ireland

Attitudes to the Criminal Justice System in Northern Ireland

Participation in the Criminal Justice System in Northern Ireland

Crime Reduction/Reducing Criminality

Judicial Appointments

Prisons and Probation

Review of the Community Safety Centre and a Crime Reduction Strategy for Northern Ireland

Community Safety Structures: An International Literature Review

Re-Forming Law Reform in Northern Ireland

Restorative Justice Options for Northern Ireland: A Comparative Review

Lay Involvement in Adjudication

Attitudes to the Criminal Justice System

Community Safety: Partnerships and Local Government

Human Rights Standards and Criminal Justice

Criminal Justice Co-operation across Shared Land Borders: The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland

Criminal Prosecutions Procedure and Practice: International Perspectives

Juvenile Crime and Justice – A Review

Designing Criminal Justice: The Northern Ireland System in Comparative Perspective