Old keys do not open new doors: Twenty years of restorative justice in Northern Ireland prisons: An insight into making it happen

Abstract

This article outlines how restorative practices (RPs) were introduced into prisons in Northern Ireland (NI) over a period of 20 years. It explains the context of how this change was introduced, using real life case examples underpinned by an approach based on praxis (Freire, 1985; Schön, 1983). Through the synthesis of relevant theory and practice experience it identifies the barriers to bringing about effective and meaningful change to practice and ways of overcoming these at the micro, meso and macro level (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). The RIPPLE model is introduced as a means of successfully implementing and sustaining innovative and creative practice within a complex and potentially hostile environment. It is the success story of an accomplishment that has never been achieved before in any prison service.