Justice Without the State: Examining Restorative Practices in Northern Ireland as Alternatives to Policing

• In Event: Abolition: Practices, Lessons, and New Worlds

Abstract

This study examines the development of restorative justice practices in Northern Ireland as a deliberate alternative to traditional law enforcement. Following the Good Friday Agreement and the subsequent disbanding of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, community-led restorative justice initiatives emerged in response to long-standing mistrust of state institutions. Restorative Justice organizations played a pivotal role in addressing local conflicts and promoting accountability without reliance on formal policing. By providing community-based resolutions, restorative justice practitioners have sought to reduce reliance on punitive justice models while fostering social cohesion and reconciliation.

Through an ethnographic approach, this research draws on interviews with restorative justice practitioners working in Belfast neighborhoods. The study explores how practitioners perceive their work and whether they view it as a genuine alternative to law enforcement or as a practice that has become incorporated into institutional governmental frameworks. By analyzing these firsthand perspectives, the paper assesses the extent to which restorative justice continues to operate as a community-driven response to conflict. This qualitative insight offers a deeper understanding of the evolving role of restorative justice in Northern Ireland’s post-conflict society, contributing to broader discussions of alternatives to policing and justice beyond state institutions.

Authors

• Luis Fernandez, Northern Arizona University

• Allely Albert, Queen’s University Belfast