Ian Marder

I joined Maynooth University as Assistant Professor in Criminology in May 2018. Within the School of Law and Criminology, I act as Director of Outreach and Engagement, Chair of the MA in Comparative Criminology and Criminal Justice, Deputy Director of Postgraduate Studies, and Co-Deputy Director of the Research Centre for Criminology.

My expertise is in criminal justice reform, particularly in the development of restorative justice and restorative practices in criminal justice. My work explores how to reduce the harm caused by crime and criminal justice, and how to identify, communicate and implement humane, evidence-based ways to meet citizen and professional needs in justice contexts. I mostly write about restorative justice, using restorative practices to change institutional cultures in criminal justice and higher education, and the design and impact of sentencing guidelines. I also write for public and professional audiences to share knowledge on criminal justice reform.

In 2023/24, I am collaborating with colleagues from academia, policy and practice on several projects. First, I am PI on Embedding a Culture of Interdisciplinary Open Research in Criminal Justice in Ireland, funded by NORF (2023-24) to establish a partnership for open criminal justice research in Ireland and conduct a study of partnerships internationally. Second, we are in the evaluation phase of Restorative Justice: Strategies for Change, a five-year project (2019-2024), in which partners from ten countries work together to implement the 2018 Council of Europe Recommendation concerning restorative justice in criminal matters. Third, I am a member of the Unlocking Potential project, which seeks to create a fair admissions process to higher education institutions for people with previous convictions (funded by the Public Service Innovation Fund from 2020-22). Previously, my work has been funded by the Irish Research Council, Irish Prison Service, the Irish Department of Justice, the Estonian Ministry of Justice, the European Forum for Restorative Justice and the International Commission of Jurists.

I established and manage the Restorative Justice Pedagogy Network, which brings together academics from over 40 countries to discuss teaching restorative justice and restorative practices in universities. I am a member of the European Forum for Restorative Justice, the Irish Penal Reform Trust and the European Society of Criminology. I sit on the Irish Department of Justice's Youth Justice Advisory Group. I am also a Lecturer with the International Institute for Restorative Practices (2021-), an Adjunct Professor with Vermont Law School’s Centre for Justice Reform (2022-), and a Director of Victim Support at Court (2023-).

My PhD (2018) is from the University of Leeds Centre for Criminal Justice Studies (UK) for my research on the institutionalisation of restorative justice in the police. Previously, I was Research Associate at the University of Liverpool working with the N8 Policing Research Partnership's Public Engagement Strand (2018). I was a Visiting Scholar at the University of the West of England Department of Health and Social Sciences (2022) and the KU Leuven Institute of Criminology (2015-16). In 2017-18, I acted as Scientific Expert to the Council of Europe to support the drafting of a new framework on restorative justice.

I was born in Canada and hold dual Canadian-British citizenship. I am happy to speak to the media about restorative justice, policing, sentencing and criminal justice reform. I am also open to requests to give guest lectures and workshops, or to discuss developing restorative justice and restorative practices.