Joe Garrihy

Dr. Joe Garrihy is an Associate Professor of Criminology at the School of Law and Criminology, Maynooth University. A specialist in penology, his research also addresses broad issues, lived experiences and policy across the fields of criminal justice and beyond. He holds a PhD in Criminology from University College Dublin based on his study examining prison officers' occupational cultures and identities in Ireland.

Dr Garrihy is the principal investigator in a two-year project, Studying Prison In-Reach Services (SPIRS), which examines the user experience of multiple in-reach services across the Irish prison estate. Dr Garrihy is also the project lead of the collaborative Unlocking Potential Project, which aims to reform Higher Education admissions policies and practices for people with convictions and develop support services for the duration of their studies. A recently completed project examined employers’ attitudes to hiring people with lived experience while exploring people with convictions’ experience of the employment market. Dr Garrihy has recently completed projects examining the experiences and rights of minority ethnic and Foreign National Prisoners, ‘cocooning’ in Irish prisons.

These projects and wider research include collaborative and co-produced projects with the Irish Penal Reform Trust, the Irish Council for Prisoners Overseas, the Office of the Inspector of Prisons, the Pathways Centre, the Irish Prison Service, and the Probation Service, among others. Funding for Joe’s research has been secured through multiple grants from organisations, including the Irish Research Council, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, the Public Sector Innovation Fund, and the Irish Penal Reform Trust. Joe’s work has been featured in diverse mediums, including national broadcasters and international peer-reviewed journals, including the British Journal of Criminology.

Reflecting his academic background in Anthropology, Sociology and Criminology, Joe’s teaching and research are multidisciplinary and collaborative while employing diverse research methodologies. He has led, developed, and delivered core and specialist modules across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

Joe lectures on penology and comparative penal policies, as well as introductory criminology and criminal justice modules. 

Joe welcomes potential research students and collaborations in penology, prison life and cultures, re-integrative pathways for people with convictions, and broader penal policies.