On 9 November 2023, the Centre for Criminology was officially launched by hosting a roundtable discussion on the topic, ‘Toward a Research Agenda for Irish Criminology, 2023-2033.’ The panel included distinguished members of the criminological community from across the Republic:
Cormac Behan, Lecturer in Criminology, Technological University Dublin
Yvonne Daly, Professor of Criminal Law, Dublin City University
Diarmuid Griffin, Lecturer in Criminal Law and Criminology, University of Galway
Claire Hamilton, Professor of Criminology, Maynooth University
Deirdre Healy, Associate Professor and Director of the Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University College Dublin
Oliver Henry, Superintendent, An Garda Síochána, Naas District
Niamh Maguire, Senior Lecturer in Law, South East Technological University
Ben Ryan, Assistant Secretary General and Head of Policy for Criminal Justice, Department of Justice
The rousing discussion covered a range of themes, including the need for better research into operational policing and policing tactics that foster positive community relations; ways criminologists can better communicate their research findings to a sceptical public; how we can collectively improve Ireland’s research infrastructure to foster data collection and research dissemination; the impact of the digital revolution on the politics of crime; the importance of critical, but constructive, research that helps us better understand the relationships between power, social class, victimisation, and punishment; and the need for research that can inform efforts to reduce Ireland’s reliance on prisons.
The members of the Centre sincerely thank all the panellists for their contributions and members of the audience for their participation. This event was merely a first step in pursuing the Centre’s mission to engage in collaborative criminological research that serves the public good.