Transforming Justice: An All-Island Examination of Justice Responses to Historical Institutional Abuse North and South
Funding Organisation: Higher Education Association (HEA) under the North-South Research Programme
Leading HEI: UCD & Principal Investigator Marie Keenan (Assoc. Prof. in Social Work) with Anne-Marie Mc Alinden ( Prof. in Law, Queen's University Belfast) and James Gallan (Assoc. Prof in Law, Dublin City University).
Background
The prevalence of historical institutional abuse (HIA) has recently emerged in several jurisdictions. To address HIA, governments on the island of Ireland (North and South) have established public inquiries, redress schemes and reforms and issued public apologies. Media reports indicate that very few of these responses have achieved justice or healing for survivors. While there is evidence that perpetrators abused in both jurisdictions (Ryan Report, 2009) and survivors were affected by trans-border abusive practices (Mother and Baby Home Report 2021) the all-island, transnational aspect of HIA has not yet been empirically examined. This timely research will address that gap and critically examine the impact of responses in each jurisdiction on the other.
This research brings together three leading international scholars on HIA from both sides of the border, across several disciplines – law, criminology, sociology, social policy, social work, restorative justice, transitional justice and human rights – and is supported by an International Advisory Group. This significant research represents the first transdisciplinary empirical study on Ireland, North and South.
Central hypothesis and Research Design
The central hypothesis is that a complex range of factors have impeded ‘just’ responses to HIA, and obfuscated lines of individual, social and political accountability, including church-State relations, victim needs, and legal structures. Earlier theoretical work by the investigators on restorative and transitional justice will underpin original empirical research to develop a new transdisciplinary justice paradigm. This includes: i) a systematic academic and policy literature review; ii) documentary analysis of public inquiries across the globe; iii) semi-structured interviews with elite-level stakeholders; and iv) an analysis of print media coverage of HIA issues, particularly survivor voices. The research will broaden and deepen theoretical, policy and public understandings of the efficacy of justice responses to HIA and ultimately the justice interests of victims across the island of Ireland and internationally.
Aims and Objectives
Utilising the Island of Ireland (North and South) as a case-study, the aim is to conduct an in-depth analysis of justice responses to HIA by both church and state in comparative international context and examine how they might be enhanced.
While there have been a range of legal, policy and organisational responses to HIA across Ireland – including public inquiries/ commissions of investigation, prosecutions, civil suits, reparations and internal church processes – a key part of the focus and originality of the proposal lies in the holistic, thematic analysis across a range of justice responses on an all-Island, transdisciplinary basis. The objectives of the research are fivefold: conduct an in-depth, interdisciplinary study on justice responses to HIA in Ireland; North and South, by both church and state; broaden and deepen understanding by relevant stakeholders of the strengths and limitations of various justice responses to HIA (including policy makers, legal professionals, survivor groups and wider society), and how they can be enhanced on a shared Island basis; develop a new transdisciplinary justice paradigm in response to HIA; produce a range of high-quality academic and policy outputs; and, promote public engagement with the findings through a website, stakeholder workshop and project conference.
Expected outputs and outcomes
The primary output will be a co-authored monograph. A book proposal is under review with Oxford University Press for their prestigious Clarendon Series in Criminology. Additional outputs include a policy paper which will be made open access and widely distributed, and an edited book (targeted at Routledge) based on the project conference. The principal outcomes will be a landmark contribution to academic discourses on HIA; new findings on the efficacy of a range of justice responses to HIA; a new evidence-based transdisciplinary paradigm to inform political decision-making; and improved experiences and outcomes for victims/survivors of HIA locally, nationally and internationally.
For further information please contact Dr Marie Keenan. Email: (opens in a new window)Marie.Keenan@ucd.ie