ACJRD hosted their December seminar and networking event on the theme ‘Towards research co-production in Irish criminal justice: lessons from recent projects' on Tuesday, 3rd December 2024 in the Law Society.
See Speakers and biographies and Relevant links below.
ACJRD would like to thank Dr. Ian Marder (Maynooth University School of Law and Criminology) for organising and chairing the seminar to introduce the concept, benefits and challenges of research co-production in a criminal justice context. Attendees heard from researchers and practitioners involved in a wide range of research projects and on the potential to expand the co-production of research on crime and justice in Ireland.
We want to express our gratitude to the speakers - Mary Crilly, Dr. Niamh Maguire, Prof. Nicola Carr, Barra O’Duill, Andy O’Hara and Dr. Peter Kelly - for their time and for the interesting discussion on the night. Information on the speakers, their projects and relevant links can be found below.
As ever, we would also like to thank those who attended and who supported this ACJRD event. We got very positive feedback, so we hope you all found it interesting and valuable, and we hope to see you at ACJRD’s events in 2025!
The Chatham House Rule:
To encourage openness and the sharing of information, ACJRD invokes the Chatham House Rule at all events.
*The Chatham House Rule reads as follows: "When a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed".
See: https://www.chathamhouse.org/about-us/chatham-house-rule
CPD points: Attendance at the event may qualify for CPD points. Qualification is determined by the points’ issuer. ACJRD is happy to provide certificates of attendance on request. For GDPR purposes, attendance lists will be deleted after 12 months and it will no longer be possible to provide certificates of attendance after that. Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to request a certificate of attendance.
Speakers and biographies (by project)
Dr. Ian D. Marder (Chairperson of the seminar) is Assistant Professor in Criminology at Maynooth University School of Law and Criminology. He is the Chair of the CORD Partnership, which aims to embed a culture of interdisciplinary open research in criminal justice in Ireland, including by supporting the translation of new and existing research findings into policy and practice and the development of new criminal justice research partnerships.
Words Matter: Promoting Best Practice in Media and Cultural Representations of Gender-Based Violence
Mary Crilly (CEO, Sexual Violence Centre Cork)
Mary Crilly is founding member and CEO of Sexual Violence Centre Cork since 1983. A feminist activist she has witnessed and been party to much of the change in Irish society and institutional responses to sexual violence. She is most noted for her tireless campaigning for policy and legislative change in the fields of sexual violence, sex trafficking, domestic violence female genital mutilation and human rights. She is active at local, regional, national and international levels. Mary holds an MA in Women’s Studies and a Diploma in the Psychology of Criminal Behavior. In 2019 Mary received the Anthea Swan Equality award from University College Cork. In 2022 Mary was conferred with the Freedom of the City by Cork City Council. In 2023 Mary received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the National University of Ireland.
Community or Custody? A Review of Evidence and Sentencers' Perspectives on Community Service Orders and Short Prison Sentences
See relevant links below.
Dr. Niamh Maguire (Senior Lecturer in Law and Criminology, South East Technological University), Prof. Nicola Carr (Chair of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin) and Barra O’Duill (Research and Evaluation Unit, Department of Justice)
Dr. Niamh Maguire is a Senior Lecturer in Law at South East Technological University. Niamh researches and publishes on sentencing, criminal law, penal decision-making, prison use, probation, community sanctions, offender supervision and comparative criminal justice processes and domestic violence. Niamh is the Co-Director of the Crime & Justice Research Group (CJRG) at SETU and serves on the Advisory Panel for the Irish Probation Journal, and on the Department of Justice REPPP (Research Evidence into Policy Programmes and Practice) Advisory Group on the implementation of the Youth Justice Strategy 2021-2027.
Professor Nicola Carr is Chair of Social Work and Social Policy in Trinity College Dublin. She has recently completed a study (with Niamh Maguire) of judicial perspectives of the use of community service orders and short prison sentences, which was funded by the Department of Justice. She is a board member of the Confederation of European Probation and is currently leading a five-nation comparative study exploring practices and experiences of community supervision.
Barra Ó Dúill is a researcher with the Department of Justice in Ireland, specialising in applied social research, public policy analysis, and development. Barra holds an MSc in Applied Social Research from Trinity College Dublin and an MA in Philosophy from University College Dublin. With a focus on empirical, evidence-informed policy-making, Barra’s work involves designing and evaluating research projects that address complex issues in justice and social policy. Barra has a particular interest in understanding and strengthening the intersection between research and policy development.
A Peer-Led Toolkit: How to Increase the Participation of People Who Use Drugs in Service Delivery and Policy Design
Andy O’Hara (Coordinator, UISCE) and Dr. Peter Kelly (Assistant Professor in Mental Health Nursing, Trinity College Dublin)
Andy O’Hara is Coordinator with UISCE, the National Advocacy Service for People who use Drugs in Ireland.
Dr Peter Kelly is an assistant lecturer in mental health nursing at the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Trinity College Dublin. He has worked in addiction treatment services for almost 20 years and has held a number of senior clinical and managerial roles in Ireland and the UK. He has been a researcher in the addictions field for almost 10 years and his research interests and publication areas include; workforce and organisational development, implementation science, service improvement for people who use opiates, peer involvement, and addiction nursing. Peter is a founding member, current board member, and former president of the Ireland Chapter of the International Nurses Society on Addictions. He has contributed to the development of the current Irish National Drug Strategy and currently sits on the National Oversight Committee for Drugs to oversee its implementation. Recent contributions also include a presentation to the Citizens Assembly on Drugs and an appearance as a witness before a cross-parliamentary committee on drugs.
Relevant links
Cultivating ‘communities of practice’ to tackle civic policy challenges: insights from local government-academic collaboration in Leeds by Nicola Carroll and Adam Crawford, Evidence & Policy, Volume 20: Issue 4 (Open Access) – click here to download.
Community or Custody? A Review of Evidence and Sentencers’ Perspectives on Community Service orders and Short-Term Prison Sentences by Dr Niamh Maguire (South East Technological University) and Prof Nicola Carr (University of Nottingham). Department of Justice, November 2024 – click here to download.