Restorative justice referrals almost double

But most victims still not offered the opportunity to participate

Last year, organisations received 842 restorative justice referrals, up from 447 the year before. Picture: iStock

The number of referrals for restorative justice almost doubled last year, as specialist services in this area expanded to several new counties.

Last year, organisations in this sector received 842 restorative justice referrals, up from 447 the year before, and the highest number since these figures first began to be tracked in 2019.

“Continued growth in services and referrals are necessary to give every person affected by crime the chance to decide if restorative justice is right for them,” said Maynooth University associate professor in criminology, Ian Marder.

“The new data suggest that referrals are rising, but most victims are still not offered the opportunity to participate in restorative justice, with less than 1% of court cases referred each year.” 

Restorative justice is a voluntary practice where a conversation takes place between a victim, a person who has committed a crime against them, and an independent person who is trained to prepare and manage such conversations.

Rachel Lillis, from the Probation Service’s restorative justice and victim services unit, said it provides a safe space for those harmed to seek answers to their questions and explain how they have been affected by what happened to them.

For those who have offended, it is a challenging but transformative opportunity to truly face the human consequence of their behaviour, to take meaningful responsibility and to begin a genuine path to reintegration.

In Ireland, the Probation Service and six community-based organisations offer such services in cases where adults have been convicted of an offence. Two of these organisations also work with children.

Research from Maynooth University found that 136 restorative justice processes were completed last year which involved direct or indirect dialogue between the victim and the person who offended against them.

Of the other cases completed, many were offences without direct victims such as drug possession and certain public order and driving offences.

The provision of restorative justice also expanded in 2024 for the first time since the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic in 2020 as Athy Alternative Project and Northwest Restorative Justice Service began offering it.

Furthermore, data from An Garda Síochána on restorative justice with youth cautions — where the offender is under the age of 18 — showed 312 such cases in 2023 and 298 in 2024.

Dr Marder said that the latest programme for government pledged to continue the national roll out of restorative justice programmes, as has the Probation Service.

“We still lack referral pathways for adult cautions and, although provided for in the Victims of Crime Act 2017, at the pre-charge and pre-conviction stages," he said. 

"Many counties still lack a dedicated provider, and existing services operate on limited budgets.” 

Mr Marder added that resources are being ploughed into many other areas of the criminal justice system, which frequently fails to meet victims’ needs or prevent re-offending, and that it was crucial to invest in evidence-based approaches like restorative justice.