Dr Ian Marder

Biography
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.
Peer Reviewed Journal
Year | Publication | |
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2023 | Marder, I. & Kurz, K (2023) 'Can dialogue help police officers and young Black adults understand each other? Key findings from a restorative process'. Policing and Society, . [Link] [DOI] | |
2023 | Marder, I., Banwell-Moore, R, Hobson, J. & Payne, B. (2023) 'New ideas, enduring cultural barriers? An analysis of recommendations from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Restorative Justice in England and Wales'. Criminology and Criminal Justice, . https://doi.org/10.1177/17488958231198787 | |
2023 | Joe Garrihy, Ian Marder, and Patricia Gilheaney (2023) '‘Cocooning’ in prison during COVID-19: Findings from recent research in Ireland'. European Journal of Criminology, 20 (3). [Link] https://doi-org.may.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/14773708221132888 | |
2023 | Marder, I. & Hamilton, C. (2023) 'Doing Criminology and Criminal Justice in Ireland: Perspectives from a Peripheral Nation'. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 39 (1). https://doi.org/10.1177/10439862221138668 | |
2023 | Marder, I.; Forde, L. (2023) 'Challenges in the Future of Restorative Youth Justice in Ireland: Minimising Intervention, Maximising Participation'. Youth Justice, 23 (2). [Link] https://doi.org/10.1177/1473225422112256 | |
2022 | Marder I.D.; Vaugh T.; Kenny C.; Dempsey S.; Savage E.; Weiner R.; Duffy K.; Hughes G. (2022) 'Enabling Student Participation in Course Review and Redesign: Piloting Restorative Practices and Design Thinking in an Undergraduate Criminology Programme'. Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 33 (4):526-547. [DOI] [Full-Text] | |
2022 | Marder I.D. (2022) 'Mapping restorative justice and restorative practices in criminal justice in the Republic of Ireland'. International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, 70 . [DOI] | |
2021 | Tidmarsh M.; Marder I.D. (2021) 'Beyond marketisation: Towards a relational future of professionalism in probation after transforming rehabilitation'. British Journal of Community Justice, 17 (2):22-45. [DOI] | |
2021 | Marder, I. Lapouge, M., Garrihy, J. & Brandon, A. (2021) 'Empirical research on the impact and experience of open prisons: state of the field and future directions'. Prison Service Journal, 256 :3-9. [Link] [Full-Text] | |
2021 | Marder, I. & Rossner, M. (2021) 'Restorative justice during and after COVID-19'. International Journal of Restorative Justice, 4 (2):305-314. | |
2021 | Guilfoyle, E. & Marder, I. (2021) 'Using data to design and monitor sentencing guidelines: The case of Ireland'. Common Law World Review, 50 (2):103-119. [Link] [Full-Text] | |
2021 | Marder, I. & Wexler, D. (2021) 'Mainstreaming restorative justice and therapeutic jurisprudence through higher education'. University of Baltimore Law Review, 50 (3):399-423. [Link] | |
2020 | Marder I., Pina-Sánchez J. (2020) 'Nudge the judge? Theorizing the interaction between heuristics, sentencing guidelines and sentence clustering'. Criminology and Criminal Justice, 20 (4):399-415. [DOI] [Full-Text] | |
2020 | Marder I.D. (2020) 'Institutionalising restorative justice in the police: key findings from a study of two English police forces'. Contemporary Justice Review, 23 (4):500-526. [DOI] [Full-Text] | |
2020 | Marder, I. (2020) 'The new international restorative justice framework: reviewing three years of progress and efforts to promote access to services and cultural change'. International Journal of Restorative Justice, 3 (3):395-418. [Link] [Full-Text] | |
2019 | Pina-Sánchez J., Gosling J., Chung H., Bourgeois E., Geneletti S., Marder I. (2019) 'Have the England and Wales Guidelines Affected Sentencing Severity? An Empirical Analysis Using a Scale of Severity and Time-Series Analyses'. British Journal of Criminology, 59 (4):979-1001. [DOI] [Full-Text] | |
2019 | Marder, I., O’Dwyer, K, Fernee, U. and Chapman, T (2019) 'Restorative Justice: Strategies for Change – a collective strategy for Ireland, 2019-2023'. The Journal of Mediation & Applied Conflict Analysis, 6 (1):1-12. | |
2019 | Marder, I. (2019) 'Restorative justice as the new default in Irish criminal justice'. Irish Probation Journal, 16 (1):60-82. [Link] [Full-Text] | |
2018 | Roberts, J., Pina-Sanchez, J., Marder, I. (2018) 'Individualisation at sentencing: The effects of guidelines and ‘preferred’ numbers'. Criminal Law Review, (2):123-136. [Full-Text] | |
2016 | Marder, I. (2016) 'Communicating and Collaborating Across Nations, Professions and Disciplines in Restorative Justice'. Restorative Justice: An International Journal, 4 (2):237-246. [Link] [Full-Text] |
Book Chapter
Book Review
Year | Publication | |
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2023 | Marder, I. & Kurz, K. (2023) The Little Book of Police Youth Dialogue by Micah E. Johnson and Jeffrey Weisberg. [Book Review] | |
2015 | Marder, I. (2015) ’Crimes against Peace’ and International Law by Kirsten Sellars [Book review]. [Book Review] [Link] [Full-Text] | |
2014 | Marder, I. (2014) Waves of Healing: Using Restorative Justice for Street Group Violence by Theo Gavrielides [Book review]. [Book Review] [Link] [Full-Text] |
Other Journal
Year | Publication | |
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2023 | Marder, I. (2023) 'Jaunā starptautiskā atjaunojošā taisnīguma sistēma: pārskats par triju gadu laikā sasniegto [The new inter-national system of restorative justice: a review of what has been achieved in three years]' Jurista Vārds, 37 :13-20. | |
2020 | Marder, I. & Zinsmeyer, C. (2020) 'Taastav õigus ja lähisuhtevägivald [Restorative justice and intimate partner violence]' Sotsiaaltöö, 2020 (4) . [Link] |
Newspaper Articles
Year | Publication | |
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2023 | Ruane, L.; Marder, I.; Ó Concubhair, C (2023) The Citizens’ Assembly on Drug Use needs more diversity of speakers and thought, The Journal. [Newspaper Articles] | |
2023 | Wozniak, K.; Marder, I. (2023) Would a ‘zero-tolerance’ approach make Dublin city centre safer? RTÉ. [Newspaper Articles] | |
2023 | Marder, I. (2023) How much do you really know about crime and justice? RTÉ. [Newspaper Articles] | |
2023 | Keenan, M.; Marder, I. (2023) Restorative inquiry would put survivors at centre of response to schools abuse, Irish Times. [Newspaper Articles] | |
2023 | Marder, I. (2023) This week’s policing storm illustrates the differing views on the roles of the Gardaí, The Journal. [Newspaper Articles] | |
2023 | Marder, I.; Garrihy, J. (2023) The Inspection of Places of Detention Bill promises reforms but doesn’t go far enough, The Journal. [Newspaper Articles] | |
2023 | Cian O Concubhair; Ian Marder (2023) Sending Gardaí clubbing will not reduce drug harms, Minister, The Journal. Dublin: [Newspaper Articles] [Link] | |
2023 | Marder, I. (2023) Restorative justice helps everyone. Why is it declining in Ireland? The Journal. [Newspaper Articles] | |
2023 | Marder, I. (2023) Enough talk - we need to decriminalise the possession of drugs for personal use, The Journal. [Newspaper Articles] [Link] | |
2022 | Marder, I. (2022) Dialogue can help gardaí better understand diverse communities, RTÉ. [Newspaper Articles] [Link] | |
2022 | Marder, I. (2022) 5 things a Citizens' Assembly on drug use should consider, RTÉ. [Newspaper Articles] [Link] | |
2022 | Ian D. Marder, Ciara Bracken-Roche, Joe Garrihy, Claire Hamilton, Gemma Lynch, Rose Ryan (2022) When people with convictions get degrees, everybody wins, RTÉ. [Newspaper Articles] [Link] | |
2022 | Marder, I. (2022) How should Ireland's new sentencing guidelines operate? RTÉ. [Newspaper Articles] [Link] | |
2021 | Ó Concubhair, C.; Marder, I. (2021) It was wrong to prosecute a 68-year-old Dublin woman for growing cannabis, The Journal. [Newspaper Articles] [Link] | |
2021 | Marder, I. (2021) Would you meet the person who committed a crime against you? RTÉ. [Newspaper Articles] [Link] | |
2020 | Marder, I., Garrihy, J. & Gilheaney, P. (2020) How would you cope with cocooning in prison? RTÉ. [Newspaper Articles] [Link] | |
2020 | Marder, I. (2020) How will Ireland police the pandemic? RTÉ. [Newspaper Articles] [Link] | |
2019 | Marder, I. (2019) Five international justice ideas for Ireland to consider, RTÉ. [Newspaper Articles] [Link] | |
2019 | Marder, I. & Maher, A. (2019) How would you cope as a child with a parent in prison? RTÉ. [Newspaper Articles] [Link] | |
2019 | Marder, I. (2019) How to create a better Irish criminal justice system, RTÉ. [Newspaper Articles] [Link] | |
2019 | Marder, I. (2019) Would prosecuting 3,500 young people have solved their problems? RTÉ. [Newspaper Articles] [Link] |
Published Report
Year | Publication | |
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2021 | Marder, I., O’Dwyer, K, Fernee, U. and Chapman, T. (2021) Restorative justice services in Ireland – briefing for the Criminal Justice Strategic Committee. Restorative Justice: Strategies for Change, . [Link] | |
2021 | Marder, I. (2021) International best practice - in Adoptee voices: Report on survey results carried out by Aitheantas – Adoptee Identity Rights. Aitheantas, . [Link] | |
2020 | Marder, I. (2020) Building Restorative Probation Services. HMI Probation, . [Link] | |
2020 | Gilheaney, P., Garrihy, J. & Marder, I. (2020) Ameliorating the impact of cocooning on people in custody. Office of the Inspector of Prisons, . [Link] | |
2014 | Marder, I. (2014) Opportunities to use Restorative Justice in the Moroccan Criminal Justice Process. Search for Common Ground Maghreb, . [Link] | |
2013 | Marder, I. (2013) Restorative Justice for Young Adults: Factoring in Maturity and Facilitating Desistance. Restorative Justice Council, . [Link] |
Blog
Year | Publication | |
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2023 | Marder, I. (2023) The Department of Justice commits to new restorative justice funding, but gaps will likely remain, Restorative Justice: Strategies for Change. [Blog] | |
2023 | Marder, I. (2023) What is restorative justice pedagogy? A summary of resources, British Journal of Criminology Learning and Teaching Network. [Blog] | |
2023 | Marder, I. (2023) New data suggests fewer restorative justice referrals in 2022 than in 2019, Restorative Justice: Strategies for Change. [Blog] | |
2022 | Marder, I. (2022) Building understanding between Gardaí and young Black adults in Blanchardstown: a briefing on the UBUNTU Project following Phase 2 (the dialogue process), Restorative Justice: Strategies for Change. [Blog] [Link] | |
2022 | Marder, I. (2022) An analysis of restorative justice in the Review of Policy Options for Prison and Penal Reform 2022-2024, Restorative Justice: Strategies for Change. [Blog] [Link] | |
2022 | Marder, I. (2022) Restorative approaches to teaching and learning in higher education, Irish Universities Association. [Blog] [Link] | |
2022 | Marder, I. & Šachová, P. (2022) How the Venice Declaration Contributes to the International Restorative Justice Framework, European Forum for Restorative Justice. [Blog] [Link] | |
2021 | Marder, I. & Guilfoyle, E. (2021) Developing smart principles for sentencing guidelines in Ireland, Irish Penal Reform Trust. [Blog] [Link] | |
2020 | Marder, I. (2020) Who wants to meet me? Restorative Teaching Tools. [Blog] [Link] | |
2020 | Marder, I. & O'Brien, W. (2020) E4J collaborates with Maynooth University to host Justice Dialogue on restorative approaches to teaching criminal justice, UNODC. [Blog] [Link] | |
2020 | Marder, I. (2020) What does justice look like during and after COVID-19? European Forum for Restorative Justice. [Blog] [Link] | |
2020 | Marder, I. (2020) A restorative transition to the post-lockdown world, European Forum for Restorative Justice. [Blog] [Link] | |
2020 | Marder, I., O'Brien, W., Lee, J., Sweeney, R. (2020) Restorative justice pedagogy for higher education, UNODC. [Blog] [Link] | |
2020 | Marder, I. (2020) Justice and healing during the pandemic, European Forum for Restorative Justice. [Blog] [Link] | |
2020 | Marder, I. (2020) Restorative justice and COVID-19: responding restoratively during/to the crisis, European Forum for Restorative Justice. [Blog] [Link] | |
2019 | Marder, I. (2019) Developing restorative justice in law, policy and practice: Learning from around the world, Penal Reform International. [Blog] [Link] | |
2018 | Marder, I. and Chapman, T. (2018) Developing restorative justice across Europe, Confederation of European Probation. [Blog] | |
2016 | Marder, I. (2016) We must not confuse explanations with excuses, TransConflict. [Blog] | |
2016 | Marder, I. (2016) Funding restorative justice in England and Wales, The Justice Gap. [Blog] | |
2016 | Marder, I. (2016) Police involvement in delivering restorative justice in England and Wales, N8 Policing Research Partnership. [Blog] | |
2015 | Marder, I. (2015) The need for a national association of volunteer restorative practitioners in the UK, Restorative Works. [Blog] |
Magazine Article
Year | Publication | |
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2019 | Marder, I. (2019) Restorative policing: a subject for public deliberation? N8 Policing Research Partnership. [Magazine Article] [Link] | |
2019 | Marder, I. (2019) Building restorative probation services, Probation Quarterly. [Magazine Article] [Link] | |
2018 | Marder, I. (2018) What's new in restorative justice research? (Vol. 4), Resolution - Restorative Justice Council. [Magazine Article] [Link] | |
2018 | Marder, I. (2018) What's new in restorative justice research? (Vol. 3), Resolution - Restorative Justice Council. [Magazine Article] | |
2018 | Marder, I. (2018) Restorative justice and the Council of Europe: an opportunity for progress, European Forum for Restorative Justice Quarterly Newsletter. [Magazine Article] | |
2017 | Marder, I. (2017) What’s new in restorative justice research? (Vol. 1), Resolution - Restorative Justice Council. [Magazine Article] | |
2013 | Marder, I. (2013) Restorative justice and young adults: the benefits of a fresh approach, Criminal Law and Justice Weekly. [Magazine Article] | |
2013 | Marder, I. (2013) Pre-sentence restorative justice: an international perspective, Magistrate Magazine. [Magazine Article] |
Teaching Interests
I coordinate three modules across the BA, BCL and MA programmes: LW269 Policing, LW380 Victimology and LW687 Restorative Justice. Since 2019, I am Director of the MA in Comparative Criminology and Criminal Justice. I also supervise students on LW458 Research Project, LW653 Placement and LW690 Dissertation.
I supervise three PhD students:
- Catherine O'Connell (with Dr. Treasa Kenny), whose research explores the use of restorative approaches in organisational change.
- Damola Adeniran (with Dr. Joe Garrihy), whose research focuses on the implementation of restorative justice in Nigeria.
- Triona Kenny (with Dr. Avril Brandon), whose research focuses on secondary victimisation and therapeutic jurisprudence.
I have a keen interest in the teaching of restorative justice and the use of restorative practices in teaching and learning. I established the Restorative Justice Pedagogy Network in 2020. In 2019/20, I won a Team Teaching and Learning Fellowship for a project that used restorative practices to involve students in reviewing and redesigning a final-year module. In 2021/22, I won the Maynooth Teaching Award for my work using restorative practices to build community within the MA programme. In 2023, I won the British Society of Criminology Outstanding Contribution to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Criminology. In 2021, I was funded by the Estonian Ministry of Justice to support the University of Tartu to integrate restorative justice into its law curriculum.
I am open to requests for guest lecturing and community-based teaching. I have delivered guest lectures at over twenty universities in Belgium, Czech Republic, Belarus, Albania, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Argentina, the US and the UK. I have also taught restorative justice to criminal justice, legal and social work professionals in England, Ireland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Estonia. In 2020, I organised and delivered a short course on victimology for victim advocates.
On Maynooth's criminology and law programmes, I have contributed to PO224 Researching Criminology, LW631 Criminology and Criminal Justice, LW696 Research Methods in Criminology, LW398 Punishment, Penal Policies and Prisons, LW691 Professional Development, LW164 Introduction to Criminological Theory, LW165 Introduction to Criminal Justice and LW156 Introduction to Law II. I led LW454 Introduction to Criminology from 2018 to 2022. I have taught on Maynooth's BA in Community Studies, Certificate in Restorative Practice and Mediation, Diploma in Addiction Studies, Diploma in Mediation, Negotiation and Conflict, Master's in Social Work, and Communiversity programme.
At the University of Leeds (2013-2018), I taught a range of subjects, including penology, research methods, youth justice, victimology, transnational crime and justice, foundations of social science, and introductory crime and justice courses.