160. Harry Maguire: Restorative justice in Northern Ireland.

See the conversation highlights at the bottom

Harry Maguire was the Director of Community Restorative Justice Ireland from 2011-2022. He has a long record in peace work since being released from prison in 1998. A Republican ex-prisoner Harry has spent 25yrs working on peace building projects across Belfast, from Chairing Interaction Belfast a cross community interface project through to spearheading engagement between Nationalist communities and the Criminal Justice System.

The work of developing restorative justice and community safety projects has been the focus of his work for 24yrs. Harry is an accredited restorative practitioner, trainer and facilitator. He is an experienced mediator and has worked with all the agencies that compromise the CJS. Harry views the building of positive working relationships based on mutual respect as key to advancement for communities who wish to have a say on all matters criminal justice.

Harry also chaired the first West Belfast Community Safety Forum, an important and valuable project that was the first opportunity for Community and the CJS to collectively engage across a range of issues. Harry has also sat on the Principle PCSP and the RJ Forum NI.

Harry has travelled the length and breadth of these islands presenting the lessons learned from his experience in developing RJ projects to a wide and varied audience. From communities in need, Criminal Justice Agencies and academia, all have been able to avail of the knowledge gained. This has been  so of the international community who watch and learn from the work of the community based restorative justice programmes in the north.

 

1. Community Restorative Justice Ireland is involved in restorative justice and restorative practice.

2. They work in communities affected by conflict and violence.

3. They aim to address the underlying issues and not just the presenting issue.

4. They believe in involving the community and individuals in finding solutions.

5. They have seen positive outcomes and resolution through their work.

6. They advocate for strategic approaches and early intervention.

7. They have expanded their work to different areas.

8. They emphasize the importance of understanding the drivers and dynamics of conflict.

9. They believe in teaching conflict resolution skills from a young age.

10. They have worked with both Catholic and Protestant communities.

11. They faced challenges in engaging with the police due to the legacy of conflict.

12. They believe in addressing antisocial behavior, crime, and criminality in the community.

13. They mention violent responses to crime, including executions and beatings.

14. They believe in finding non-violent and dialogue-based solutions.