Community-Based Restorative Justice: Building Alternatives to Formal Policing in Northern Ireland

• In Event: Critical Perspectives on Policing: Abolition and Alternatives

Abstract

Using the case of Northern Ireland as an example, this research explores the impact of community-based restorative justice initiatives led by formerly incarcerated individuals and combatants. Such organizations developed as a by-product of the region’s conflict, intended to address paramilitary punishment violence in communities marginalized from state services, but eventually blossomed into robust restorative justice schemes that continue to operate today and provide an array of services. Originally perceived as threats to the state’s authority over justice due to their position outside of the formal criminal legal system, they faced significant hurdles over the course of their establishment. Nevertheless, this contention helped strengthen the organizations and their eventual credibility, fostering legitimate “from-below” systems of justice that transformed dynamics between communities and the state. The findings suggest that these organizations play a key role in promoting peaceful relationships, ensuring police accountability, and strengthening democratic engagement between communities and state services. As such, this case study offers a practical model for building community-based structures that empower local neighborhoods to address conflict, reduce violence, and deliver justice. Although substantial challenges remain, this research demonstrates how praxis developed in Northern Ireland might inform global standards of restorative justice and alternative policing practices.

Author

• Allely Albert, Queen's University Belfast