A Restorative Justice System For Young Offenders In Northern Ireland
This case study describes the development by the Northern Ireland Office of proposals for a restorative justice system for young offenders.
What was achieved:
Provisions to amend the law relating to youth justice in Northern Irelandalong restorative justice lines were included in the Justice (Northern Ireland) Bill, introduced in the House of Commons on 18 December 2001.
What was learnt from abroad:
The youth conference proposals developed by NIO drew specifically on the family group conferencing model which had been established in New Zealandfor ten years, but adapted this system to suit the Northern Irelandcontext. A study visit was undertaken, following extensive research into international comparisons carried out in the context of the Review of the Criminal Justice System.
Lessons for using international comparisons:
The principal lessons to be learnt from this case include:
- drawing on expert knowledge of current developments around the world in the policy field concerned will help ensure that an appropriate comparator is chosen for detailed examination;
- study visits are an essential aid to understanding how a system really works in another country, and correcting misunderstandings, but need to be carefully planned and properly resourced to be fully effective;
- inviting comment on your proposals from people familiar with the system from which you have sought to learn lessons may help avoid inadvertent omissions or distortions.
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- YJA Rap
- We're not Brazil, We're Northern Ireland
- A Day in the Life of a Youth Conference Co-ordinator
- Case Study: A Restorative Justice System for Young Offenders in Northern Ireland
- A Youth Conference Case Study
- My Experience of Youth Conferencing by a 15 year old male
- Reparation in the Community
