Conversations with Criminologists

Professor Maggie O'Neill is Head of the Department of Sociology and Criminology at University College Cork and a member of the Centre for the Study of the Moral Foundations of Economy and Society.  Professor O'Neill's research includes the development of  critical theory; a focus upon innovative  biographical, cultural and participatory research methodologies; and the  production of praxis - knowledge which addresses and intervenes in  public policy.

http://professormaggieoneill.com/

Dr Jennifer O'Mahoney is a Lecturer in Psychology within the School of Humanities - Applied Arts, at Waterford Institute of Technology.  Her research focuses on how victimology and trauma are remembered and narrated by survivors and collectively by wider society.

https://www.wit.ie/about_wit/contact_us/staff_directory/jennifer_omahoney 

Professor Mary Rogan is a Professor of Law at Trinity College Dublin where she teaches modules on Penology and the Prison System. Professor Rogan's interests include prison law, human rights and imprisonment,  and penal policymaking.

https://www.tcd.ie/research/profiles/?profile=roganma

Dr Vicky Conway is a lecturer within the School of Law and Governance in DCU, lecturing across a range of modules related to criminal justice and the operation of the legal system in Ireland and has held previous positions at the University of Kent,  Queen's University Belfast, the University of Limerick and the  University of Leeds.

The intersection of theory and practice; Prof Shane Kilcommins

The intersection of theory and practice is the hallmark of criminology in Ireland. The research output across the island is testament to this, and the this approach is reflected in the pedagogy evident in Universities offering criminology courses. Prof Kilcommins speaks about his role in setting up practice based university courses, and the importance of clinical or placementoptions for students and researchers. In addition, Shane speaks about how his theoretical approach to criminology and criminal justice were fostered through his interaction with colleagues in sociology departments and his exposure to key theorists changed his perspective from a purely legal standpoint, to a more multidisciplinary approach. Prof Kilcommins also speaks about his work on victims issues, and how this work had a significant impact beyond academia. Importantly his speaks about the intersection of a range of vulnerabilities and victimhood within the criminal justice system in Ireland, and how his research has been directed to relieve the revictimization of individuals engaged in that system.

Transitional justice, victimisation and activism; A conversation with Dr Cheryl Lawther

Criminology on the Island of Ireland is, much like the UK, based on a core literary canon, however, often Criminologists emerge from a range of disciplines, experiences and activist positions. Cheryl Lawther speaks about her work at the intersection of politics and law, and the importance of grass roots activism and research and how it influences her teaching. Cheryl’s discusses her work broadly defined as restorative justice, dealing with the past and transitional justice and traces the influence of key theorists who inform her ongoing academic projects; issues of denial,  power, and victimisation. She speaks about the inherent multi-disciplinarity of her work, the international dimensions in terms of post conflict societies and the intersection of victims and perpetrators in truth and reconciliation initiatives. Finally, Cheryl describes the application of her work to a real world setting, how the findings from projects can serve to alleviate some of the issues that exist in post conflict societies, and how academics can and must serve this advocacy purpose.

Risk assessment, decision making and parole in Ireland ; Dr Diarmuid Griffin

The issue of practice dominates the perspectives of contributors to this volume, and for Diarmuid Griffin it is no different. His experience working in the USA’s public defender system led him from his legal training towards a career in criminal justice informed by criminological perspectives. Interestingly, like in other chapters, Diarmuid references the influence of theories of social control and power on his work, and mentions the work of Cohen, Foucault and Garland on his academic writing. Linked to this is the notion of risk assessment and Diarmuid speaks about this approach as a tool that underpins decision making in Criminal Justice agencies but also more generally as a means of social control. Diarmuid also prioritises the application of knowledge in the field of criminology, and he references his own work on the analysis of decision making in cases of life imprisonment. Importantly, this research has not only informed policy makers in Ireland, it has also been widely welcomed by the prisoners themselves. This again brings us back to the conversation about hearing marginalised voices and the need for inclusivity in criminological research.

Marginalised voices and criminological research; A conversation with Dr Deirdre Healy

Attending to real  world problems and the relief of significant social issues is a theme  that runs across the chapters in this volume, for Deirdre Healy it is no  different. In this chapter she emphasises her  own interest in Criminology was led by a desire to see the application  of academic knowledge to prison and probation issues. Seeking a solutions led approach, influenced by both forensic psychology  and criminology, Deirdre recognised the importance of having those  individuals who directly experienced the criminal justice system  contribute to how we might imagine change in this field.  Attending to the voices of those who are marginalised in society was a  key issue for Deirdre’s research and she discusses how giving space so  that all individuals are heard in society, but also that society listens to these voices is vital. Theoretical concepts that  inform Deirdre’s work such as recidivism, dehumanisation, othering and  social identity are discussed in this chapter. Deirdre traces her  academic journey from its psychological origins and documents  the influence of key authors on her work. In this chapter she also  speaks about new methods in researching criminology and how innovative  qualitative methods serve the discipline.

Doing Criminology, prisons and solitary confinement; Professor Ian O Donnell

Criminological research exposes academics to all walks of life, from prisons, to law offices and police stations to schools. The experience of Prof Ian O Donnell is no different and his research journey is marked by his time working on the issue of suicides in the London underground system, examining the issue of armed robbery in partnership with the flying squad in the Metropolitan police and developing a drug testing regime in British Prisons. While these may seem like diverse research undertakings, the unifying features of these projects are decision making processes and environmental design, and in this chapter Prof of Donnell explains how these theoretical approaches alongside the data collection processes have informed his work. In Prof O Donnell speaks about his more recent work on isolation in prisons and mirroring the sentiment of other contributors to this volume, acknowledges the need to ensure that the multiple audiences for criminological writing are served. In particular he speaks about the popularity of his book on isolation amongst the population of prison inmates and how this impacted on their own experience of and understanding of solitary confinement.

The metrics and criminology, a critical review; A conversation with Prof Claire Hamilton

The foundations of Criminology in Ireland can be traced via the emergence of academic programmes of study that began as interdisciplinary projects led by a diverse group of individuals. Prof Hamilton was involved in the first MA criminology in Ireland and her origins in the faculty of Law in Trinity College Dublin informed her work on this degree. Importantly, Claire’s practice experience was important in the development of Criminology programmes, because in the early days of the field in Ireland, practitioners, including Gardai, social workers were a significant part of the student body. Prof Hamilton’s academic work is informed by her legal training but she also draws significantly from the sociological literature on Culture(s) of Control and she applies this to a range of cases including human rights and counter terrorism as well as securitisation more broadly. In this volume, Claire also refers to a theme that is prominent amongst other contributors and that is the issue of metrics and quantifiable variables and how in a jurisdiction like Ireland measurement might be addressed.