Joe Garrihy

Dr. Joe Garrihy is an Assistant Professor in Criminology at the School of Law and Criminology, Maynooth University. A specialist in penology, his research also addresses broad issues, lived experiences and policy across the fields of criminal justice and beyond. He holds a PhD in Criminology from University College Dublin based on his study examining prison officers' occupational cultures and identities in Ireland.

Joe has recently completed or is currently engaged in several projects including examinations of the experiences and rights of examinations of the experiences and rights of minority ethnic and Foreign National Prisoners, ‘cocooning’ in Irish prisons. Dr Garrihy is the project lead of the collaborative Unlocking Potential Project aiming to reform Higher Education admissions policies and practices for people with convictions and develop support services for the duration of their studies. A concurrent project examines employers’ attitudes to hiring people with lived experience while exploring people with convictions’ experience of the employment market.

These projects and wider research include collaborative and co-produced projects with the Irish Penal Reform Trust, the Irish Council for Prisoners Overseas, the Office of the Inspector of Prisons, the Pathways Centre, the Irish Prison Service, and the Probation Service among others. Funding for Joe’s research has been secured through multiple grants from organisations including the Irish Research Council, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, the Public Sector Innovation Fund, and the Irish Penal Reform Trust. Joe’s work has been featured in diverse mediums including national broadcasters and international peer-reviewed journals including the British Journal of Criminology.

Reflecting his academic background in Anthropology, Sociology and Criminology, Joe’s teaching and research are multidisciplinary and collaborative while employing diverse research methodologies. He has led, developed, and delivered core and specialist modules across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

Joe lectures courses on penology and comparative penal policies as well as introductory criminology and criminal justice courses. Joe welcomes potential research students and collaborations in penology, prison life and cultures, re-integrative pathways for people with convictions, and broader penal policies.