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Researching the lives of Irish Roman Catholic clergy who have sexually abused minors: Collaborative inquiry

2012-05-01, Keenan, Marie

Child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church has become an international problem of truly global proportions and while much has been written on this topic much remains to be understood. This article describes and discusses the orientation and methodology adopted in undertaking a study of Irish Catholic clergy who had sexually abused minors. Whilst much of the literature on sexually offending clergy comes through third party analysis and interpretations, the study discussed in this article is based on first-person narratives and a collaborative approach to the research process. The study is taken as a point of departure for discussion of a number of ethical considerations when undertaking research with participants who are clients of a therapy service and who are therefore seen as members of a vulnerable group. Some of the complexities involved in conceptualizing men who have abused minors as a vulnerable group are considered. © The Author(s) 2011 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

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Restorative Justice, Sexual VIolence and the Criminal Justice System

2013-10, Keenan, Marie, Joyce-Wojtas, Niamh

In addition to the more conventional approaches of the criminal justice system, this article suggests that there is a need for restorative justice as another method of addressing sexual crime. In support of this view, the present article explores the possibility of a hybrid justice system based on a complementary relationship between restorative justice and the criminal justice system. An analysis of the limits of the criminal justice system and the need for restorative justice in the contentious area of sexual violence will be followed by a detailed examination of key justice considerations when trying to marry both criminal justice and restorative justice perspectives. Such considerations include the meaning of justice, legislation, sentencing principles, due process, victims’ rights and the location of restorative justice within/alongside/outside the criminal justice system. The aim of this article is to determine whether it is possible to reconcile two seemingly juxtaposed methods of justice delivery in the context of sexual violence in order to create a hybrid system of justice that best protects and responds to the rights and needs of victims and offenders.

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Sexual violence and restorative practices in Belgium, Ireland and Norway: a thematic analysis of country variations

2016-03, Keenan, Marie, Zinsstag, Estelle, O'Nolan, Caroline

The article compares and contrasts the provision of some restorative practices in cases of sexual violence in three European countries: Belgium, Ireland and Norway. It begins by briefly outlining efforts to address the ‘justice gap’ experienced by victims of sexual violence within conventional justice systems. The article points to calls for the development of alternative or complementary innovative justice responses to sexual violence. It suggests that restorative justice advocates believe they can deliver a participatory, empowering and flexible form of restorative justice, which can run in tandem with conventional criminal justice processes. However, it is noted that the application of restorative approaches to cases of sexual violence has engendered some controversy. The article points to considerable inter-country divergence in the extent to which restorative justice is accessible to victims of sexual crimes and to the emergence of country-specific patterns in the provision of restorative justice in cases of sexual violence.

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Non-recent Institutional Abuses and Inquiries: Truth, Acknowledgement, Accountability and Procedural Justice

2023-06-30, Shilliday, Paula, McAlinden, Anne-Marie, Gallen, James, Keenan, Marie

Over the last two decades, historical abuse in state and religiously-operated institutions and some civil society groups and organisations has come under scrutiny around the world. The island of Ireland, comprising Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, has had a large number of investigations, redress schemes or apologies regarding non-recent institutional abuse against women and children, some of which are ongoing. Many of these efforts have been criticised by victims/survivors, academic activists and advocates for deficient processes or inadequate recommendations or outcomes. Despite widespread acknowledgement that recent official responses to non-recent institutional abuse are lacking in terms of their capacity to deliver truth, acknowledgement, accountability, and procedural justice, discourses are rarely informed by detailed empirical assessment of the views of key stakeholders including victims/survivors, victim-advocates/representatives, lawyers and human rights advocates, judges/commissioners, politicians, policymakers and members of churches and religious orders. This is an important moment, therefore, to stand back and assess justice responses to non-recent institutional abuse across the island of Ireland and how they compare to efforts across the world. This research will provide a guiding standard to improve social and public understanding to redress non-recent institutional abuse across Ireland and elsewhere.

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Protecting Against Predators: An Exploratory Study on the Sexual Exploitation of Children and Young People in Ireland

2023-06-22, Canning, Mary, Keenan, Marie, Breslin, Ruth

The sexual exploitation of children is a profoundly damaging human rights violation that has serious, immediate and long-term physical, mental, emotional and social health consequences for the victims. Yet according to Beckett and Pearce (2018) there is 'a continuing societal discomfort around accepting that the sexual exploitation of children can affect any child and, as such is a problem that affects all of us'. This scoping study seeks to confront this discomfort by gleaning insights into the issue of the sexual exploitation of children and young people in Ireland.

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Kas taastavale õigusele on kohta, kui seksuaalne kuritarvitamine toimub perekonnas?

2020-12-07, Keenan, Marie

Seksuaalkuriteol on ohvri jaoks alati sügavalt psüühilised ja sotsiaalsed tagajärjed. Olukorra teeb aga eriti keeruliseks see, kui tegu on perekonnas toime pandud seksuaalvägivallaga.

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Restorative responses to sexual violence: an introduction

2017-02-24, Zinsstag, Estelle, Keenan, Marie

Sexual violence, in all its forms, is a crime for which anecdotal accounts and scholarly reports suggest victims in their great majority do not receive adequate 'justice' or redress. The theory and practice of restorative justice is rapidly developing and offers some well-argued new avenues for dealings with crime in general. It has the potential to be extended to cases of sexual violence and a number of small scale programmes are already underway across the world.Restorative Responses to Sexual Violence examines this innovative justice paradigm in more depth in the particular context of sexual trauma and violence in order to establish the empirical realities of restorative justice approaches in cases of sexual violence, and considers how such approaches could be developed adequately in the future. This book is divided into two parts, each representing a key area of research and practice: theoretical and conceptual frameworks, and justice and therapeutic perspectives.This international collection brings together leading expert scholars and practitioners to offer both theoretical and practical perspectives on restorative justice and sexual violence. This book will be of interest to researchers in the field of law, criminology, psychology, social science, social work and psychotherapy, as well as practitioners in the fields of criminal justice, restorative justice and sex offender and victim trauma therapies.

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Is Restorative Justice for Sexual Crime Compatible with Various Criminal Justice Systems?

2016-01, Joyce-Wojtas, Niamh, Keenan, Marie

There is a need for restorative justice as another method of addressing sexual crime. An analysis of the limits of the criminal justice system and the need for restorative justice in the contentious area of sexual crime will be followed by a detailed examination of key justice considerations when trying to marry both criminal justice and restorative justice perspectives. Such considerations include: the meaning of justice; legislation; sentencing principles; due process; victims' rights; and the location of restorative justice within/alongside/outside the criminal justice system. The aim here is to determine whether it is possible to reconcile two methods of justice delivery in the context of sexual crime in order to create a hybrid system of justice that protects and responds to the rights and needs of victims and offenders.

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Research on Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church and Restorative Justice

2022-06-09, Keenan, Marie

This presentation addresses Sexual Abuse and the Catholic Church in Ireland and the potential for Restorative Justice.

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Restorative Responses to Sexual Violence: Challenging Perceptions

2016-10-13, Keenan, Marie