Guest Lecture: Considering Children in Detention in Ireland

18 December 2018

On the 6th December, 2018, the Society Research Group and Ms Madeleine Thornton, Lecturer in Law, along with the community of DkIT were delighted to attend a Guest Lecture entitled ‘Considering Children in Detention in Ireland: Policy and Legal Issues’, delivered by Michelle Martyn, Senior Research and Policy Project Manager with the Irish Penal Reform Trust.

This lecture focused on addressing the over-representation of children in care in the criminal justice system and the means by which regimes for children in detention should reflect human rights standards. Key issues considered in the lecture included:

the characteristics of children in detention in Ireland;
an overview of relevant domestic and international state obligations;
and examples of alternatives to custody.

It also identified and reflected on key developments that have taken place since the publication of IPRT’s (2009) research on 'Detention of children in Ireland: International Standards and Best Practice.'

A lively question and discussion session followed the lecture with students, staff and external guests making thought-provoking contributions to the conversation, supplemented by the expert views of the guest speaker.

The Society Research Group are organising additional lectures in 2019. These guest lectures are a crucial means of engaging the community of DkIT with the culture and society in which it is located and operates. So come along and join in.