Oireachtas committee hears CRJI presentation

Tweet

I travelled to Dublin on Thursday 18 October to deliver a presentation to The Joint Committee of the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement at Leinster House. The presentation was delivered to a number of MPs from the North as well as TDs and Senators.
 
Community Restorative Justice Ireland and Northern Ireland Alternatives had been invited to do the presentation by Senator Martin McAleese who also attended the session.
 
My colleague Debbie Watters, assistant director of Northern Ireland Alternatives, travelled with me to Leinster House to do the presentation.
 
I have worked with Debbie Watters for many years delivering joint presentations and attending meetings with community and statutory bodies our work. We have developed a good rapport and have a shared vision on the worth and value of Restorative Justice.
 
The atmosphere in the committee room was both friendly and in many cases informed. It was clear from the outset that all who attended were there to listen and to discuss the import of our presentations.
 
We gave a historical perspective of how Restorative Justice has been developed in the communities in which we work. These communities may have different political and religious outlooks but the issues they face on a daily basis respect no such boundaries.
 
We explained how we impacted on punishment violence by armed groups but just as importantly how we began to employ the skills gained through training and experience across a wider range of disputes within our respective communities.
 
The question and answer session which followed the presentations were insightful and underpinned our belief that the effects of crime and anti-social behaviour are the same across the island of Ireland.
The TDs, MPs and Senators were interested about a number of areas of our work. What was our relationship with the criminal justice system? What was the breadth of our work? How did we view future developments within the field of Restorative Justice? They asked could there be a use for these approaches in the private sector or as a method of engaging former combatants.
 
Of course, the response was a positive on all these fronts. Restorative Justice approaches are so flexible that they can be used across a very broad range of issues in society. Restorative approaches are also determined and shaped by the values that underpin the ethos and philosophy of Restorative Justice.
 
In our daily work we use Restorative approaches in criminal justice work which includes police, probation, offenders and victims. We work with young people in a restorative manner and we are in partnerships with all the above as well as having projects with the Belfast Trust, Belfast City Council and the largest housing provider in the north, the Housing Executive.
 
Seven years ago we also instigated a school project which ran for three years with quite remarkable results. We publicised and launched the findings of this project in 2011 in a book called Beyond
the Three ‘Rs’ which is an extensive written account of the work of the project.
 
I have no doubt that the partnerships with the statutory agencies in the north can be replicated and adapted to suit in a southern context.
 
Equally our community office approach, which deals with so many issues, including preventative work with people before their issue reaches a statutory level,would be a valuable resource to any community across the island.
 
CRJI is a community friendly organisation which seeks to empower and develop the capacity of the communities in which we work to help build restorative responsive communities that can grow in the context of safety and respect.

Restorative Practice and Education

Tweet

                              

CRJI have spent the last week compiling a training programme for the introduction of Restorative practice in a school in Dublin City. It is some years since CRJI worked full time within the school setting culminating in a written account of the three-year project in a publication called Beyond the Three R’s. The title is a bit of a give away as we believe that not only should the school curriculum focus on the Three R’s of reading, writing and arithmetic but also on life skills such as conflict management and problem solving. We also believe that the best results in doing this can be achieved by the use of restorative approaches.

There are now countless publications, training organisations and aids when it comes to the subject of restorative justice in schools, not to mention the endless list of consultants who will leave you spellbound on the subject. However, we at CRJI like to take a much simpler view of it all and start with the greatest gift that restorative justice can give us, a value base.

Restorative practice is underpinned, informed and shaped by a value base of eight key components. These are participation, interconnectedness, honesty, humility, respect, accountability, hope and empowerment. Employing these values will quickly send out the message that the school that does this creates a single focus by saying that  “we are a school that values people”. This in turn will see an increase in academic activity for if pupils, parents and staff feel valued then they embrace the wider project of working together to educate our children.

Restorative Justice approaches will also help to develop schools as listening and feeling schools, thus building an environment where people matter, that it is important to put people first and when dealing with issues that have harmed people the restoration of relationships is a key element of the restorative process. This of itself is an education process as we promote new ways of dealing with harm by employing the restorative paradigm.

The restorative paradigm rather than focus on rule breaking looks to what has happened, who has been harmed and how we repair this harm. Again this puts people at the heart of a process while also empowering them to play a central role in the resolution. The empowerment of people should also be a focus of education.

What other benefits are there when we introduce these practices in the school setting? There are different models of school practice, well documented and articulated. In the case of the Dublin school we are looking at developing a Restorative Peer Mediation initiative which will also mean a certain amount of buy in from not only pupils but from staff who will need to be part of the project.

We would hope that this would become a first step for the school as they embrace the restorative values and concepts. CRJI would prefer that schools go for a whole school approach thus deepening and broadening the opportunities and potential positive outcomes. However RJ is people centric and the starting point of one will be different from another, what we really would like to see is the same destination being reached, a truly wholly inclusive way of problem solving which are underpinned by restorative values and processes. That would be something.

 

 

Piece written by Garrett Gorman - CRJI North Belfast

Tweet

“I thought if I killed myself then they would leave my

sons alone and my mum could raise them”

Thus ended a conversation between a local woman, her mother and the North Belfast CRJI coordinator. It’s a blunt calculation. But one that has a terrible logic to a lady driven to the brink of suicide by drug dealers. Seeing no way to pay off a drug debt or escape the clutches of a local team of dealers. Our client had tried to kill herself; clinging to the hope that the threats to her children would end when her life did.

It’s not a unique story. The North Belfast office has dealt with many such cases. Sometimes all family possessions are sold and the debt (including the interest charged) is paid. Other times the family flees their home and community. And occasionally the suicide attempt is successful and homes are devastated by the loss of a father, mother, son or daughter. Experience tells us that in the case of the latter the dealers simply transfer the debt to surviving family members and the intimidation continues unabated.

Cases such as these are encountered by CRJI staff across Belfast, Derry, Newry and Armagh. Also working for some sort of resolution to this issue are suicide prevention organisations such as PIPS and a range of other drug and community groups.

As we have discovered in North Belfast there is no easy answer to the problem of drug dealing, addiction, debts, threats and ruined lives that inevitably follows in its wake. For our part we ensure every shred of information the community gives us about these dealers and those driving people to the brink of suicide is passed to the police – along with a demand for robust action to be taken. We refer those attempting or contemplating suicide to PIPS and, when requested, work with housing providers and other relevant agencies to get those under threat to a place of safety. 

While this intervention may help our clients – it is by no means a panacea to the growing problem of suicide due to drug debts. Much more needs to be done. CRJI does not have all the answers and we believe that there needs to be a coming together of those with a duty to these families. Our community needs these dealers in jail and off the backs of our most vulnerable members. Families and individuals under threat need support to prevent them even considering suicide as an option. Even dealers who are addicts themselves need help, support and treatment.

This tragic scenario is played out in every community across Ireland, Britain, Europe and beyond where drug dealers have a foothold. If we want to effectively address it here in Belfast, or Derry, Newry and Armagh then maybe we need to gather our partners and devise a more coordinated response. It’s certainly a daunting task. But CRJI remains ready to work with any and all statutory, voluntary and community organisations to prevent more names joining the list of those we have already lost through suicide and drugs.

The Long Road

Tweet

CRJI attended the preview of a play on Tuesday 2^nd October at the Lyric Theatre. We had been invited through our work as CRJI practitioners given that the play would deal with some issues around the use of Restorative Practice. The event was well worth the effort, the play was first and for most an enjoyable piece of performance art but more importantly highlighted the issues for a family after the violent murder of their son.

The family issues were something I felt would immediately catch the focus, particularly for those who encounter people who have been badly affected by crime and it’s aftermath. The play drew out the relevant and sometimes poignant questions.

The offender was also well portrayed with a little more stereotypical context but nonetheless recognizable as people we would know.

The middle person was somewhat different from what we who work in the restorative field recognise but the centrality of trying to create a space for a victim offender encounter was underscored.

The plays big success for me was that it made you think. One of the lines ran something like “to understand is to change” change of course being a focus of restorative practice. If any thing the play should act as a platform in which to discuss the very important issues that are central to the play, they are issues that the Criminal Justice System grapples with day in day out and of course the introduction of the restorative paradigm creates a different viewpoint.

I would recommend that people go and see this play and enjoy the play for it’s own integrity, it’s script and the acting, you will get something out of the experience. For those interested in RJ and associated issues then the play will have a different resonance.

Speaking of resonance the play was called “The Long Road”, and as a colleague and myself attended we were accompanied by two serving police officers, yes folks, it has been a very long road.

Victims

Tweet

I watched the aftermath of the report on the Hillsborough Disaster and like many people could only think about the dignity of the victims through the many years of adversary they have faced. It brought memories of victim issues closer to home be they victims of State or the various Armed Group violence; there emerges a very clear picture of the commonalities shared by victims. I don’t mean to categorise all victims for we must recognise victims are individuals with individual responses to their own personal loss or injury. However what does emerge for me around these issues are victim needs rooted in their quest for acknowledgement, apology and accountability. I could give a list of the cases that are recognizable not by the individual victims but by place or geography and that list would be quite extensive.

How does this connect with the work of CRJI you might be asking? CRJI has worked with countless victims down through the years, from people who are affected by low-level ASB issues through to the victims of serious crime including murder. Our experience is victims have very often-different sets of questions to ask about what has just occurred than those asked from the perspective of a police or criminal justice view. Why me? Does the offender know what they have done? Will they acknowledge that? Will I be safe in the future? Will they do it to me again? This is all underpinned by the need to know,  be known and recognised. These common themes are universal and in a restorative manner are the questions that we feel are part of a process when working with victims. We acknowledge that the criminal justice system does what it does but in the area of victims the victims needs and concerns should be central to the overall process of resolution.

Our work in the community has witnessed the power of dialogue in the most extreme of cases, I have written previously on this, the powerful empowerment for a victim to see and hear their concerns being dealt with not only unlocks a pathway forward for the victim but equally for an offender who will be faced with the hard questions, recognition of hurt but more importantly the difficult potential to change. This potential in our view is in need of support, for the achievement of change for an offender not only benefits them but also the wider community and ensures no other victims from that quarter.

The other common theme around victims that I’ve seen is that victims can very often be stereotyped as people so badly injured that they appear frail and fearful, almost intimidated in submission by what has occurred. While this may be true in some cases, our experience of victims that having been frightened, hurt and injured is that they also display a remarkable level of endurance to seek both the answers they need while also demanding the acknowledgement of their situation. It is this for me, that join the burglary victim, the elderly who suffer so much from ASB with the high publicity victims who have displayed so much courage and integrity in their search for justice.

This brings me to what for many is the real issue, does society have the tools to deal with victims?  From a restorative perspective I would say no. This position derives from the knowledge that victims aren’t viewed as key in the criminal justice process; rather what is important is what law has been broken, by whom and what is the result of the criminal justice process. This is of course is a simplified version of a complex system but it is vital for the system to adopt and develop a restorative approach which will give victims a role in the justice process, which will also create the potential for offenders to face the consequences of their actions and above all create a threshold for both, victim and offender to cross and begin to see events from another place.

All Island Retorative Justice Conference set in motion

Tweet

Restorative Justice practice is happening the length and breadth on the island of Ireland. Be it in criminal justice, probation, the care sector, community projects, schools, courts and prisons, restorative techniques are being employed across a huge swath of society. That's the message I took from the meeting held in Ballybot House Newry.

The meeting, organized by the Restorative Justice Forum N.I. was aimed at investigating what was happening across the island in restorative justice and to see how practitioners felt about the possibility of an all island conference on RJ.

There was a good vibe in the room around the idea as presented by the Forums event subgroup.
As with all RJ gatherings a similar set of themes emerges, relationships, inclusivity, sharing and building seem to resonate and settle to be the foundations of a way forward. This is key when like-minded people start to plan an event that aims to promote and develop restorative practice across the island.

It was also refreshing to be in a room where people were speaking positively of their experience of restorative practice, there was no one to convince of the value of RJ as a model of good working practice. This was most refreshing as we went straight to business, discussion followed by agreement followed by discussion and further agreement. Believe me that’s how it went, a good day’s work done and by the end of the session a very clear picture was emerging of what the event will look like.
So now for the hard work, the conference content, the meat in the proverbial sandwich. There was however some good suggestions on this and even more so on the idea of joint presenters highlighting the difference in RJ practices across the island. This may be done in a north/south basis that will really throw up the gaps and difference.

There was also much discussion on what and who should our target audience be? Again we felt we should look to invite practitioners who will have a wealth of knowledge but also legislator’s who at the end of the day help to create the legal framework in which RJ is located within a variety of fields. I think it crucial that we seek to influence those people who can with our experience put RJ up the agenda thus ensuring that we really are starting to build.

A key discussion was the choice of a keynote speaker. No agreement on this one yet although some very solid suggestions in the hat both from an international view through to more home-grown talent.
This was another theme from today’s event, the theme that said that we are well-developed in our knowledge and skill base in using RJ practice. This demonstrates an underlying confidence in what and how we have been doing things and this augur’s well for the future.

Finishing up we have committed to the event, some of the agenda, the venue and future meetings to plan the event further still. I can hardly wait for the event itself; it will make a change to be staying on home soil for an RJ conference, that’s a change in itself.

Power of Dialogue

Tweet

Many people find the concept of Restorative Justice difficult to grasp simply because they have never felt or experienced that moment when a word, a gesture or an acknowledgment makes such an impact that it changes their situation irrevocably. For those of us who have been privileged to be present during Restorative Justice sessions, be it RJ Mediation, Circles or Restorative Conversations the power of dialogue shines through.

Like all conflict situations that are fraught with the given's and of course the unknown’s a certain tension is automatically introduced into the equation, how will the other party respond? Will they be honest? Will they abuse the opportunity to restore and resolve and importantly will they acknowledge what has happened? These of course are the central elements of the conversation that parties, sorry, fellow human beings need to ask of each other when they have been injured and wronged. Sometimes the injured is also the wrongdoer, that makes for a complex dialogue but first and foremost they are human, with all that goes with that.

Being present to facilitate these difficult conversations develop and get to the real issues has exposed R.J. practitioners to the absolute power of dialogue. We have witnessed what at times seemed to be intractable problems being quickly transformed by that moment, by that conscious action which say’s I know, I now understand, I am walking in your space and I feel what you felt and I want to put it right.

These are the moments when acknowledgement of hurt, injury and wrongdoing occur, the moments that open up the possibility of resolution, the creation of a threshold that the victim can then decide to cross and accept the acknowledgement for what it is. This is a crucial stage in a restorative process as the wrongdoer awaits acknowledgement of what they have said to put things right.

Putting things right is an age-old idea, from the parent of a young child who accidentally smashes a window and that parent goes and replaces the window thus putting it right. This of-course applies across life’s experience when something has happened and when someone has been injured the driving need to put it right if given the opportunity is a very basic human need.

I recently watched a film, Beyond Conviction, in which serious offenders met with victims and family of victims and that need to put things right was clearly evident and visible to the human eye. None of us need to be specially trained to be open to this.

So for me when talking about Restorative Justice I believe it is important we speak in human terms, about feelings, emotions and yes, putting it right because to put things right means to fully engage and live up to the responsibility to do just that, putting it right and sure can’t we all get that.

July policing under the spotlight at Ardoyne meeting

Tweet

CRJI took part in a multi-agency meeting held today at Holy Cross hall, Ardoyne which looked at problems in the policing of the recent July 12th Orange parade through the area.

There was a protest held by around 30 people outside the venue protesting at the PSNI’s presence at the meetings. The protest was entirely  peaceful and relatives of two local men from the area recently jailed handed out letters outlining their opposition to the meeting.

The meeting proceeded and the PSNI responded to a  number of concerns related to their policing of the July marching season and a number of protests and counter protests.

Residents had raised the firing of plastic bullets, differences in the policing of the nationalist and unionist communities, and the conduct of police during raids and searches carried out after July 12th during a heated multi agency meeting held in the hall a fortnight ago.

The PSNI today gave more information on a number of questions raised during that meeting. It was clear that the residents and community workers at today’s meeting feel that much more remains to be to be done.

Sinn Féin MLA Carál Ní Chuilín said her party had written to the Public Prosecution Service to find out how the community could be better informed on the issue of bail conditions and probation orders of known offenders.

Police then briefed the community on a number of successful drugs raids in Ardoyne and the Oldpark areas.

Residents then quizzed the Housing Executive about how they would proceed if anyone was found to be in breach of their tenancy by allowing drugs to be sold from their homes. The Executive representative outlined the procedures and said it would be writing to the police for a full report on the latest arrests.

There was also a discussion about ongoing problems facing residents suffering from anti-social behaviour coming from the Bone Hills area. Police said they had received a number of call-outs to the area close to the derelict Park Inn.

The Housing Executive gave commitments that it would look into delays in carrying out repairs to a number of homes in the area because of a change of contractor. This issue was raised by a resident from Jamaica Road as well as Oldpark Councillor Danny Lavery.

Residents from Jamaica/Havana said they would be organising a meeting with the Housing Executive and Belfast City Council around the proposed erection of a bollard in Jamaica St which some residents now say they are opposed to.

The bollard was originally demanded by residents to stop cars being used in a pedestrian area which could be dangerous for children.

The issue of horses running wild in the Ligoniel area was then raised. There were questions about the welfare of the animals in question.

However, serious concerns were raised about the safety of children living in an area of Ligoniel where the horses regularly gallop through unsupervised.

Police and the other relevant agencies committed to dealing with the problem.

The multi agency group will reconvene early next month.

CRJI Backs Efforts for Community-led Policing in New Lodge and Tiger's Bay

Tweet

 

CRJI joined community activists from Tiger’s Bay and the New Lodge areas this morning Friday 17 August at a meeting on York Road to discuss proposals to shape community-led policing.

The meeting included members of the New Lodge Safer Streets and the Tiger’s Bay and Mountcollyer Policing & Community Safety Partnership as well as Intercomm’s John Loughran.

“This is part of the follow-up to the recent residential organised by the groups in Bangor in July to look at tackling crime and anti-social behaviour across our communities,” said CRJI’s Seán Mag Uidhir.

“We have been sharing experiences of how crime and anti-social behaviour impacts on deprived communities.

“Criminals don’t respect interfaces and we are looking to see how best we can work together to reduce crime and fear or crime.

“There is a lot of good work being done in our communities which goes unsung but which improves people’s quality of lives.

“This initiative is looking to build on this work and to develop joint approaches to tackling problems, which affect communities like ours all over the world.”

Lord McNally on Future of RJ in the CJS

Tweet

Speech by Lord McNally on ‘The future place of restorative justice in the criminal justice system’

Good evening. Thank you for the invitation to speak here today.  I am very pleased to be contributing to this discussion with Lizzie Nelson of the Restorative Justice Council and Javed Khan of Victim Support, both very important partners in our work to promote restorative justice in the criminal justice system.

My focus today is the Government’s approach to restorative justice in England and Wales.

I am an ardent supporter of the principles of restorative justice.  It offers an opportunity not only to assist the rehabilitation of offenders but to give victims a greater stake in the resolution of offences and  in the criminal justice system as a whole.  Victim-led restorative  justice can allow us to make inroads into the re-offending cycle – with the triple benefit of victims avoiding the trauma of future crimes, the  tax payer not having to foot the bill of more crime, and a rehabilitated offender making a positive contribution to society.

As many of you know far better than me, the evidence for the  effectiveness of restorative justice is promising. Analysis conducted by my department of a number of restorative justice pilots showed that 85% of victims who participated were satisfied with the experience and  there was an estimated 14% reduction in re-offending. The Government is therefore committed to making use of restorative justice in more areas, and in more circumstances across the criminal justice system.

Crucially, increased use of restorative justice needs to be rooted in  local needs and responsive to local crime and re-offending.  It needs to be driven by how practitioners, victims and communities want to respond to crime in their area.  This is part of a move towards localism where  we accept different areas will have different approaches. To ensure  restorative justice is delivered in the way most appropriate for each area, we are working with valued partners like the Restorative Justice Council to provide local areas with the tools to make greater use of restorative justice with confidence.

Therefore, as part of our response to lower level crime, over 18,000 police officers have been trained in restorative practices and we are working with 15 local areas to develop Neighbourhood Justice Panels which will bring together the victim, the offender and community representatives to respond to low-level crime by using RJ and other reparative processes.

Further up the system, over £1 million is being provided to train prison and probation staff and volunteers and develop guidance, and we are providing over £600,000 to Youth Offending Teams to provide training to Youth Referral Panel members to deliver more restorative and reparative panels. Provisions in the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act which received Royal Assent on 1 May will also allow courts to make wider use of Youth Referral Orders which are focused upon restorative and reparative outcomes.

All of this work is geared towards enabling local areas to build the capacity and capability to develop and deliver RJ practices which are effective and victim focused.

We also believe there could be a place for restorative justice before the sentencing process for offenders who admit guilt and are able and willing to participate alongside the victim. Pre-sentence restorative justice would inform the court’s decision about what the right type of punishment should be. At this stage, we need to learn more about how this would operate, and hope to work with one or more local areas to test pre-sentence restorative justice out.

To ensure that restorative justice is delivered to a high standard, we funded the Restorative Justice Council’s ‘Best Practice Guidance for Restorative Practice’, and last year the Ministry of Justice and the Restorative Justice Council launched a National Register of Restorative Justice Practitioners and professional qualifications accreditation.

This allows criminal justice staff and voluntary sector organisations supporting victims to recommend properly trained individuals who can safely and effectively support victims to participate in restorative justice.

We cannot hope to achieve our aims without the crucial involvement of victims.  So I am particularly pleased about our continuing work with Victim Support. One of the key purposes for expanding the use of restorative justice must be to give victims a greater stake and voice in the resolution of offences and in the criminal justice system as a whole.

The Government published its response to the consultation, ‘Getting in  Right for Victims and Witnesses’ yesterday. There we recognised that,  despite the improvements that have been made over the last two decades,  victims still too often feel they are an afterthought for the criminal justice system.

We are committed to ensuring that victims get the support they need to  deal with the immediate aftermath of a crime and, over time if need be,  receive further help, which may include compensation, to put their lives back on track.

To realise these ambitions the Government has committed to reviewing and updating the Victims’ Code and the use of the Victim Personal Statement as well as the process for dealing with complaints when something has gone wrong. We will prioritise, as part of this review, how the offer of a restorative approach can be incorporated in a revised Code and whether the Victim Personal Statement could be used as a way of a victim signalling their interest in restorative justice.

The Government has also committed to make offenders pay reparation to victims for the harm they have caused. This may be financial – through court ordered compensation paid by the offender to the victim – or indirectly, through revenue raised from the Victim Surcharge which is spent on support services.

We are also providing Victim Support with £38 million in funding per year until 2014 so it can invest in services that are victim focussed; we have put rape support centres on a secure financial footing for the first time, with 65 centres around the country receiving total grant funding of nearly £3 million a year until 2014; and we have further guaranteed funding of £2 million a year for the next two years to fund specialist support for adult victims of human trafficking.

The next significant step in this context has been the Government consultation on community sentences.  I’m very pleased that this included a substantial section on reparation, looking at how we can ensure that restorative justice is more regularly used in the sentences of the court and what more we can do to strengthen the role of victims in it.

The consultation closed on 22 June, and we are still busy working through the responses.  However, it is clear from initial analysis that there is considerable practitioner enthusiasm for greater use of  restorative justice.  And I hope to see some constructive proposals that build on what we’ve achieved already.

Our vision, therefore, is for a criminal justice system which understands and addresses the issues involved for victims, offenders and wider communities, responds intelligently and is more effective. We want a system that focuses relentlessly on tackling reoffending, helping offenders lead law-abiding lives and supporting victims. This is why we will continue to work with organisations across the sector to improve  best practice, tackle capacity hurdles, extend the use of restorative justice and firmly establish its place now and for the future in the Criminal Justice System.

Trocaire Event

Tweet

On Monday the 6^th August, 2012 I attended an event organized and hosted by the Irish Charity Trocaire. There were about 12 other people invited to listen to a talk by Dr Izzeldin Abuelaish. Izzeldin is a medical doctor by profession who has overcome much adversity in his life growing up in Palestine and living through the conflict. His biggest test came as he lost three of his daughters in an Israeli Army bomb attack. It was evident to see the emotional loss of this man and his understanding of what has happened as he described each life as a “world” in its own right and how he was dealing with the memory of his children.

This man was seriously impressive, his humility and strength shone through the awfulness of what had happened to him, yet the absence of bitterness was for me very powerful. His insight into peace making had clear resonance with the Irish Peace Process with his emphasis on equality, respect and freedom.

He demonstrated that he was not a victim but a survivor who had a clear view of what needed to be done, he spoke passionately about the fight for peace and that non-violent methods were his weapons. A truly inspirational person he spoke of humanity, of the need for human collectivity and the connection between one human and another. The understanding, that for the people of Israel to feel free, safe and secure then the Palestinian people will also need the same and that this can only be done together.

It was his insight into the others needs that was striking in that he genuinely felt for those who had even oppressed him and visited so much hurt on to him, yet for them he wanted only the same rights as himself. He spoke often in medical terms and spoke of the newborn baby who when born is born free but only later imprisoned. He talked about the need to look at the causes and not just the effect. He meant everything he said which was great to witness, as there is nothing more engaging than listening to someone who is passionate about what they do and more importantly why they are doing it.

Izzeldin also shared a wonderful story with us, he has written and published a book, “I shall not hate”. He gave a draft to his 18year old daughter to read. She still lived with him at the time. After reading it his daughter e-mailed him saying she was now starting to know her father, this even though he had reared her for 18 years. Proximity doesn’t build relationships but sharing who you are does, so thank you Dr Izzeldin for sharing your time with me, truly compelling.

Engaging with Policing

Tweet

The backdrop to CRJI engaging with the criminal justice system was a highly politicized and emotionally charged landscape. The historic decision to engage with policing across the political, social and major institutions that bind the Nationalist/ Republican communities together was and continues to be momentous. The decision to engage was not taken lightly; indeed the final step came nine years after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement and seven years after the Patton commission reported on the way forward for policing in the North of Ireland. These are and were huge political questions of the time but for Community Restorative Justice Ireland what did they mean.

CRJI from the outset was always of the view that when policing was resolved to the satisfaction of our politicians then and only then could we engage. The decision to engage was bigger than the view of a community restorative justice organisation. We also knew that policing would be a difficult issue for many reasons for the Nationalist/Republican community to deal with not least because of the historical and political significance this issue held.

However, CRJI had been working in the community from1998 with a particular focus on the issue of punishment violence emanating from the various Armed Groups. From 1998 to 2006 CRJI made 350 positive interventions that were evaluated by professor Harry Mika, a leading American criminologist. What became clear as we were doing this work was the absolute need for policing, we were not only encountering punishment violence but a plethora of criminality including serious sex crime and murder which quite frankly was not in our, the communities gift to deal with.

These serious issues only hardened our resolve in moving in the direction of engaging with policing and if truth were told we had come to that conclusion long before the politics had been resolved around the policing question.

It is vital to understand that when we speak of engagement we mean trying to shape policing on the ground so as it can deliver an effective service to and for the communities in which we work.  This is what we were hearing in the many homes we visited over the years as members of our communities were grappling to come to terms with the impact of crime and anti- social behaviour.

Equally our own belief that punishment was not the answer to the many ails in our communities which manifested themselves in poverty, educational under achievement, unemployment and so on. The outward effects of this were drug and alcohol abuse, violence in the home & community and a sense of hopelessness that was prevalent among particular groups of working class young people. Can anybody seriously make the argument that these issues could be shot away or imprisoned?

CRJIs view is that these issues won’t be solved through punishment of whatever kind. We believe that it is the behaviour and the underpinning causes of the behaviours that need to be changed and tackled. This is the big question for society, how do we collectively impact on the behaviours that fuel crime and anti social behavior?

CRJI is promoting joined up approaches in the Criminal Justice world through multi agency working. We have developed our own capacity to this end, we are now a government-accredited organisation and can lead the community engagement on these issues but in a sense what we are doing is firefighting.

We would be advocating for early interventions with families who need support.  We would advocate that restorative approaches to conflict management be ciriculimed and embedded in our education system and the really big issue is that we begin to build a society based on the principles of social justice and inclusion, that's the challenge for us all, are you up for that? CRJI is.

CRJI receive Investors in People Award

Tweet

Kate Pickering & Jim McCarthy collected the IIP Plaque and Certificate on behalf of CRJI at a presentation in Hillsborough Castle. CRJI become recognised in March 2012 and will continue to work to develop good practice within the organisation.

Meeting ‘The Standard’ is a big achievement for The Board of Directors, Senior Management Team, Managers, Staff and Volunteer Practitioners. Collectively we are committed to the continuous improvement/development of CRJI and will work to gain the Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards.

Harry Maguire CRJI Director said" the purpose of CRJI moving in this direction and attaining the IIP award is about us building capacity in both our processes and personnel which ultimately means delivery of better services in the communities in which we work"

 

Time for Solutions

Tweet

 23rd July 2012

Just home from meeting tonight at Belfast Castle where a community safety event took place. In attendance was the Police, Youth Justice Agency, City Council workers and of-course hard pressed residents. I was there after being invited by a colleague who is a resident but also a member of the newly formed Policing and Community Safety Partnership, so I was there to listen.

As usual the issues were predictable but nonetheless real, especially in terms of the impact on the quality of life of the residents. If I had closed my eyes I could have been in a venue in any part of the city and the conversation would have been similar.

The perennial issues of youth drinking and the associated behaviours featured heavily as did the gathering points for young people and the intimidation felt by local residents who are having various missiles hurled at their homes on a weekly basis.

What is clear about the issues raised is that there are no easy solutions, in fact the frustration in the room was palpable and what was clear is that some residents are at the end of their tether. That's because we are talking about low level anti community behaviour that tends to impact on only those it directly touches but which can have a very high impact on those people. It was clear the residents most effected had been the victims of someone else’s success as on numerous occasions we heard from the police and other residents that the group of young people and their behaviour was being displaced rather than dealt with on a regular basis. The idea of displacing the problem and moving it on is a common outcome of many of the approaches to these types of issues as they, the “solution” very often doesn’t challenge the behaviour that makes so many peoples lives a misery. This is what we need to start and achieve if we are to truly get to grips with these issues.

Education, personal development, mentoring, youth services and restorative dialogues could form some of the responses. Equally support for communities from statutory agencies particularly around the engagement of parents and the inclusion of those stakeholders in problem solving conversations and approaches. Law enforcement also has a part to play in that keeping residents safe is vital and interventions will be needed for specific behaviours but also in terms of dealing with the irresponsible sale of alcohol to young people, that of course means challenging big business. It’s high time that the alcohol business lived up to their responsibility to the wider community and rather than prosecuting young people for street drinking prosecute those who sell alcohol illegally.

Equally there should be a framework for residents to engage with these young people around the relevant issues and how best to deal with the issues in sensible manner. Residents in my view need to develop tolerance for young people, as many of the youth are engaging in nothing more than nuisance behaviour in a way that is not malicious and most certainly not criminal.

The keys to these issues are in my view to be found in a restorative dialogue, working together and to see the statutory sector as enablers to do this. Where appropriate police enforcement is needed, design out crime initiatives welcome, a hotspot template created and developing positive alternatives to the street corner culture that these youth have bought into like so many across the city.

Mediation and Local Knowledge - A Note From the Director

Tweet

Over the last few weeks, CRJI workers and voluntary practitioners have been involved in delivering mediation services within the community. This dialogue process is a key method for solving many different types of community disputes and it’s great to be present during the sessions.

The value of having the mediation facilitated by local people is huge. People from the community who are in dispute are often unsure of the process they are about to embark on and having someone known to them or known in the community for this type of work is settling.

Many people have concerns about mediation, such as who are the mediators? How does it work? Will it work and concerns for their own safety. This is were the local practitioner comes into their own as they very often have some sort of relationship with the clients, either directly or indirectly and are able to put their concerns in context. Of course the major focus for participants in pre mediation meetings is the constant questions about the “other side”. This for an experienced mediator opens the door for discussion and being able to begin the process of building confidence. The questions often fired at mediators are indeed in reality the questions that each party need to be asking within the framework of mediation, once the parties begin to grasp this they start to warm to the whole idea of sitting down together.

Over the years I have had the privilege of facilitating mediations across Belfast and wider afield. In each occasion I have been impressed at the dignity that people display, particularly those who have been clearly harmed. The process has always given me something, new learning, new insights, better understanding of people and a renewal in the capacity of people to repair and restore their own issues. It is really something to witness people having entered the mediation room as adversaries and leave not necessarily as friends but having achieved resolution to their issues and having begun to repair the damage done to their relationship through the dispute.

The local knowledge, experience and very often commitment of the local Restorative Justice practitioner can often be a deciding factor of assisting people over the line of resolution as they employ their greatest skill of all, trust in the process, trust in their own abilities and above all trust in the people who are in dispute.

CRJI at South Inner City Community Development Association Celebrations

Tweet

CRJI director Harry Maguire travelled to Dublin on 5^th July 2012 to speak at a Seminar organized as part South Inner City Community Development Association’s 30^th year celebration. 

The event was in keeping with some of the work we have been engaged in over the last few months that has been very much island focused. Firstly CRJI Newry & South Armagh have been awarded funding by the Co Louth Peace and Reconciliation Partnership that has been the first of its kind for CRJI. 

This is a first step for us as we seek to build relationships in different areas of the Island of Ireland. In keeping with this theme we have been engaged with the Restorative Justice Forum (NI) in developing an all island event that would be focused on raising awareness around the extent and use of Restorative Practice across a wide and varied range of society. 

Now to return to our Dublin trip we again took the opportunity to engage with like-minded people who wish to build restorative practice in their communities. We also met RJ practitioners from Belgium, Italy and S. Africa. Watch this space.

New CRJI Blog - Welcome!

Tweet

This is the official blog for Community Restorative Justice Ireland.  We hope that our content will be useful to those who are interested or those actually involved in developing Restorative Justice Practice. 

We are firmly rooted in the community aspect of restorative practice and while we are involved in delivering RJ practice over a broad range of issues we understand that there needs to be a strategic approach as to how we build restorative communities that are responsive and tolerant of and to the issues that blight many urban areas in the modern world. 

We often say that across Europe it is easy to identify the same issues of crime and anti- social behaviour that impact on the quality of life of many of the citizens thereof. While the underpinning causes of the crime and anti social behaviour must remain a focus for those who have responsibility to deliver and build a more equitable society there still remains a need for our societies to deal with many of our conflictual issues through the use of restorative justice practice which is value based and people centred. 

We in CRJI feel that this is our mission and we are hopeful to connect with like-minded people and organisations. 

Please visit our main website at:

http://crji.ie/

And remember to follow us on Twitter:

@crjicentral