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This special issue invites authors engaged in cutting-edge research on crime and criminal justice in the Republic of Ireland to demonstrate Ireland’s global significance in these fields. Irish criminology is a burgeoning, diverse and outward-looking discipline, with a rising number of scholars making novel contributions to international debates on the theoretical and empirical study of crime and criminal justice. Its relatively unique position as both a Western European democracy and a post-colonial territory means that Ireland is of equal significance to the Global North and Global South. Moreover, this growth in local scholarship coincides with changes to criminal justice that should be of interest to advocates and analysts around the world. With articles on gendered historical abuses, public attitudes to policing, countering violent extremism, penal decision-making, penal politics, youth justice and organised crime, the issue brings this research to a global audience.

Inflammatory linear verrucous epidermal nevus (ILVEN) is a rare skin disease characterized by pruritic erythematous scaly plaques distributed along the lines of Blaschko. Two cases of ILVEN with CARD14 mutations and one case with a GJA1 mutation have been previously reported.To elucidate the genetic cause of a cohort of patients diagnosed based on clinical and histopathological evaluation with ILVEN.We recruited patients diagnosed with ILVEN based on clinical and histopathological criteria. Exome sequencing of affected skin with or without blood/saliva was performed and germline and somatic pathogenic variants were identified.Five patients were enrolled. All had skin lesions from birth or early childhood. Two patients developed psoriasis vulgaris after the diagnosis of ILVEN. The first had a germline heterozygous CARD14 mutation and a post-zygotic hotspot mutation in KRT10. The histopathologic evaluation did not show epidermolytic hyperkeratosis. The second had a post-zygotic hotspot mutation in HRAS. Her ILVEN became itchy once psoriasis developed. One patient was re-diagnosed with linear porokeratosis based on a germline mutation in PMVK and a post-zygotic second-hit mutation. Two patients were re-diagnosed with congenital hemidysplasia with ichthyosiform nevus and limb defect nevus based on germline NSDHL mutations.ILVEN is a clinical descriptor for a heterogenous group of mosaic inflammatory disorders. Genetic analysis has the potential to more precisely categorize ILVEN and permits pathogenesis-directed therapies in some cases.

Early-onset sepsis results in increased morbidity and mortality in preterm infants. Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (ASPs) address the need to balance adverse effects of antibiotic exposure with the need for empiric treatment for infants at the highest risk for early-onset sepsis.All preterm infants34 weeks gestational age born during a 6-month period before (January 2017-June 2017) and a 6-month period after (January 2019-June 2019) implementation of ASP in May 2018 were reviewed. The presence of perinatal sepsis risk factors, eligibility for, versus treatment with initial empiric antibiotics was compared.Our cohort comprised 479 infants with a mean of 30 weeks gestation and birth weight of 1400 g. Demographics were comparable, with more Cesarean section deliveries in the post-ASP cohort. Any sepsis risk factor was present in 73.6% versus 68.4% in the pre- versus post-ASP cohorts (P = 0.23). Fewer infants were treated with antibiotics in the later cohort (60.4%) compared with the earlier cohort (69.7%; P = 0.04). Despite the presence of risk factors (preterm labor in 93% and rupture of membranes in 60%), 42% of infants did not receive initial antibiotics. Twenty percent with no perinatal sepsis risk factors were deemed low-risk and not treated.Implementation of a neonatal ASP decreased antibiotic initiation at birth. Antibiotic use decreased (appropriately) in the subgroup with no perinatal sepsis risk factors. Of concern, some infants were not treated despite risk factors, such as preterm labor/rupture of membrane. Neonatal ASP teams need to be aware of potentially unintended consequences of their initiatives.

The recent populist ‘explosion’ in the US, UK and Europe has pushed radical right populist movements to the centre of western politics. Given criminology's long experience of penal populism in the 1980s and subsequent decades, these developments raise important questions as to the role of sociology of punishment, and the wider discipline of criminology, in responding to far-right populism. This article aims to takes stock of the existing literature on this phenomenon with a view to proposing a tentative criminological research agenda that may contribute to our understanding of the recent rise of authoritarian politics in Europe, the UK and US. While highlighting the continued salience of the emotions in contemporary ‘security populism’, the article cautions against what has been described as a ‘pathologising’ approach to research in this area. Building on this, the paper advances an argument for a criminological research agenda based on a post-dualistic understanding of political affects that seeks to move the analytic focus beyond negativity.

Imbalance in lipid homeostasis is associated with discrepancies in immune signaling and is tightly linked to metabolic disorders. The diverse ways in which lipids impact immune signaling, however, remain ambiguous. The phospholipid phosphatidylinositol (PI), which is implicated in numerous immune disorders, is chiefly defined by its phosphorylation status. By contrast, the significance of the two fatty acid chains attached to the PI remains unknown. In this study, by using a mass spectrometry–based assay, we demonstrate a role for PI acyl group chains in regulating both the priming and activation steps of the NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in mouse macrophages. In response to NLRP3 stimuli, cells deficient in ABC transporter ATP Binding Cassette Subfamily B Member 1 (ABCB1), which effluxes lipid derivatives, revealed defective inflammasome activation. Mechanistically, Abcb1 deficiency shifted the total PI configuration exhibiting a reduced ratio of short-chain to long-chain PI acyl lipids. Consequently, Abcb1 deficiency initiated the rapid degradation of Toll/IL-1R domain–containing adaptor protein, the TLR adaptor protein that binds PI (4,5)-bisphosphate, resulting in defective TLR-dependent signaling, and thus NLRP3 expression. Moreover, this accompanied increased NLRP3 phosphorylation at the Ser291 position and contributed to blunted inflammasome activation. Exogenously supplementing wild-type cells with linoleic acid (LA), but not arachidonic acid, reconfigured PI acyl chains. Accordingly, LA supplementation increased Toll/IL-1R domain–containing adaptor protein degradation, elevated NLRP3 phosphorylation, and abrogated inflammasome activation. Furthermore, NLRP3 Ser291 phosphorylation was dependent on PGE2-induced protein kinase A signaling because pharmacological inhibition of this pathway in LA-enriched cells dephosphorylated NLRP3. Altogether, our study reveals, to our knowledge, a novel metabolic-inflammatory circuit that contributes to calibrating immune responses.

The changes to the Irish exclusionary rule introduced by the judgment in People (DPP) v JC mark an important watershed in the Irish law of evidence and Irish legal culture more generally. The case relaxed the exclusionary rule established in People (DPP) v Kenny, one of the strictest in the common law world, by creating an exception based on ‘inadvertence’. This paper examines the decision through the lens of legal culture, drawing in particular on Lawrence Friedman's distinction between ‘internal’ and ‘external’ legal culture to help understand the factors contributing to the decision. The paper argues that Friedman's concept and, in particular, the dialectic between internal and external legal culture, holds much utility at a micro as well as macro level, in interrogating the cultural logics at work in judicial decision-making.

Junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB) is an incurable blistering skin disorder with high infant mortality often caused by nonsense variants in the genes that encode laminin 332.To evaluate the safety and outcomes following intravenous gentamicin readthrough therapy and subsequent laminin 332 expression in patients with JEB.This open-label, pilot nonrandomized clinical trial assessed 1 course of low- or high-dose intravenous gentamicin, including follow-up at 30 and 90 days after treatment. Five pediatric patients with JEB (2 with intermediate JEB and 3 with severe JEB) and confirmed nonsense variants in LAMA3 or LAMB3 in 1 or 2 alleles and decreased expression of laminin 332 at the dermal-epidermal junction of their skin participated in the study, which was performed at a single institution in collaboration with physicians and home infusion services near the patients from April 1, 2019, to February 28, 2021, with follow-up until May 31, 2021.Three patients received gentamicin at 7.5 mg/kg daily for 14 days, and 2 patients received gentamicin at 10 mg/kg daily for 24 days.Primary outcomes were change in expression of laminin 332 in patients' skin and assessments for safety (ototoxic effects, nephrotoxic effects, and autoimmune response). Secondary outcomes included wound healing in monitored wounds and Epidermolysis Bullosa Disease Activity and Scarring Index (EBDASI) score.After gentamicin treatment, all 5 patients (age range, 3 months to 10 years, 4 [80%] female) exhibited increased laminin 332 in the dermal-epidermal junction. By 1 month, 7 of 9 wounds in patients receiving low-dose intravenous gentamicin and all wounds in patients receiving high-dose intravenous gentamicin exhibited at least 50% wound closure. By 3 months, 8 of 9 wounds in patients receiving low-dose gentamicin and all wounds in patients receiving high-dose intravenous gentamicin exhibited greater than 85% closure. All 3 patients who were evaluated with EBDASI showed a decrease in total activity scores that met minimal clinically important differences 1 month after treatment. All 5 patients completed the study, and no ototoxic effects, nephrotoxic effects, or anti-laminin 332 antibodies were detected.In this nonrandomized clinical trial, intravenous gentamicin therapy was associated with induced readthrough of nonsense variants in patients with JEB, restored functional laminin 332 in their skin, and wound closure during the 3-month study period. Although long-term safety and efficacy requires further evaluation, a single cycle of intravenous gentamicin may be a safe and readily available therapy in the short term for this population of patients with JEB.ClinicalTrials.gov Identifiers: NCT03526159 and NCT04140786.

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The protections afforded citizens in human rights treaties drafted by international organisations such as the United Nations may frequently be seen as a way of protecting unpopular minorities such as offenders or prisoners from the ‘tyranny of the majority’. Yet, criminal justice policies promulgated by these same bodies can often cut, swordlike, deep into citizens’ freedoms. This tension—between drives towards human rights, on the one hand, and towards criminalisation and punitive measures on the other—is particularly acute in the field of counterterrorism, where bodies such as the UN Security Council have been active since the events of 9/11. Taking the field of counterterrorism as an exemplar, it is the aim of this paper to explore the tension between the ‘shield’ and ‘sword’ functions of international organisations, drawing on two case studies. The first concerns the United Nations where the security of the state has secured a major advantage over the ethic of human rights, within rather than in conflict with the UN framework of international oversight. The second examines the European Union, where the enactment of a significant body of counterterrorism legislation since 9/11 has driven radical and permanent change in at least some areas of mainstream criminal law and procedure, with significant implications for human rights.

This country survey examines: the core Irish criminal justice institutions; basic trends in crime and punishment over the last 50 years; and critical junctures in the debate over law and order in recent decades. Using an earlier country survey by O’Donnell (2005a ) as a baseline, it charts the significant growth of the discipline of criminology within Ireland. The article argues that Irish criminal justice retains a distinctively local flavour and highlights the promise of Irish criminology in many key areas of contemporary interest

In the burgeoning criminological literature on security, risk and preventive justice which has followed the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers, ‘contagion’ or the deleterious effect of counterterrorist policies on the ordinary criminal law has been the subject of some discussion, mostly in the context of the threat which such ‘exceptional’ policies pose to mainstream procedural values. This article seeks to build on this literature through an examination of the impact of post 9/11 counterterrorism law and policy on the ordinary criminal justice system in France. Given the extent to which counterterrorist law now encroaches on various aspects of French criminal law, the argument is made for greater criminological attention to be paid to the ‘trickle-down’ effect of extraordinary law on the ordinary business of the criminal justice system.

In light of recent departures from human rights standards in the name of ‘security’, this paper argues that the application of governmentality-informed criminological concepts may help to illuminate the process and context in which such departures are made and the ‘rationalities’ and ‘knowledges’ that facilitate them. By forcing us to pay attention to the power-knowledge networks inherent in the bureaucratic, political and juridical apparatus through which rights are negotiated, the governmentality analytic opens up important possibilities for a politically richer, more self-reflexive and ultimately less disingenuous rights discourse.

While levels of public confidence in the police have declined internationally, the Republic of Ireland appears to have bucked this trend with confidence levels that remain ‘strikingly and stubbornly high’ ( Mulcahy, 2016 : 275). This situation appears all the more puzzling given the wave of scandals to have hit the force in recent decades, ranging from police corruption in Donegal in the late 1990s to a more recent whistleblower scandal that has resulted in the resignation of a slew of Ministers and high-ranking officials. Such developments beg important questions as to the factors sustaining public confidence over this tumultuous period. Drawing on international and domestic data, this article aims to probe this ‘paradox’ of public confidence in the Irish police. It argues that, although confidence is high, there is more to the dynamics of confidence in the police in Ireland than this initial appraisal suggests. Indeed, it advances the Irish case as an illustration both of the dimensionality of the public confidence concept and the complexity of the pathways to trust in the police.

SummaryImbalance in lipid homeostasis is associated with discrepancies in immune signalling and is tightly linked to metabolic disorders. The diverse ways in which lipids impact immune signalling, however, remain ambiguous. The phospholipid phosphatidylinositol (PI), which is implicated in numerous immune disorders, is chiefly defined by its phosphorylation status. By contrast, the significance of the two fatty acid chains attached to the PI remains unknown. Here, by employing a mass-spectrometry-based assay, we demonstrate a role for PI acyl group chains in regulating both the priming and activation steps of the NLRP3 inflammasome in mouse macrophages. In response to NLRP3 stimuli, cells deficient in ABC transporter ABCB1, which effluxes lipid derivatives, revealed defective inflammasome activation. Mechanistically, Abcb1-deficiency shifted the total PI configuration exhibiting a reduced ratio of short-chain to long-chain PI-acyl lipids. Consequently, Abcb1-deficiency resulted in rapid degradation of TIRAP, the TLR adaptor protein which binds PI(4,5)-phosphate. Moreover, this accompanied increased NLRP3 phosphorylation at the Ser293 position and blunted inflammasome activation. Exogenously supplementing WT cells with linoleic acid, but not arachidonic acid, reconfigured PI acyl chains. Accordingly, linoleic acid supplementation increased TIRAP degradation, elevated NLRP3 phosphorylation, and abrogated inflammasome activation. Altogether, our study reveals a novel metabolic-inflammatory circuit which contributes to calibrating immune responses.

Human rights are commonly regarded as the antidote to criminalization and securitization. Yet, since 9/11, at both the national and international levels, human rights law has largely accommodated the security-oriented changes deemed necessary to combat terrorism, including the use of torture and the erection of a “shadow” system of justice through the use of coercive non-trial-based measures (Gearty 2017; Hamilton 2018). In this article, we examine taken-for-granted features of modern legal adjudication and “human rights proofing” (forms of human rights protection) that dilute the restraining power of human rights law and extend security measures. Informed by a “governmental criminological” analysis of human rights in the security field, we present two case studies to illustrate these arguments. The first considers “human rights proofing” mechanisms in the United Nations counter-terrorism assemblage which, we argue, have been rendered “technical” (Sokhi-Bulley 2016) through the complexity of the structures deployed to protect rights and the forms of knowledge privileged by experts. The second case study draws on use of control orders—Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures (TPIMs) in the United Kingdom—and examines two governmental “techniques,” namely, the judicial “balancing test” and the European Convention on Human Rights “memos” put to parliamentary committees scrutinizing counter-terrorist legislation. At both national and international levels, how human rights are being institutionalized has affected the operation of power: we are being governed through rights (Golder 2011) in ways consistent with conditions of authoritarian liberalism (Dean 2007).

The NLRP3 inflammasome is a multimeric protein complex that cleaves caspase-1 and the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) and IL-18. Dysregulated NLRP3 inflammasome signalling is linked to several chronic inflammatory and autoimmune conditions; thus, understanding the activation mechanisms of the NLRP3 inflammasome is essential. Studies over the past few years have implicated vital roles for distinct intracellular organelles in both the localisation and assembly of the NLRP3 inflammasome. However, conflicting reports exist. Prior to its activation, NLRP3 has been shown to be resident in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and cytosol, although, upon activation, the NLRP3 inflammasome has been shown to assemble in the cytosol, mitochondria, and mitochondria-associated ER membranes by different reports. Finally, very recent work has suggested that NLRP3 may be localised on or adjacent to the Golgi apparatus and that release of mediators from this organelle may contribute to inflammasome assembly. Therefore, NLRP3 may be strategically placed on or in close proximity to these subcellular compartments to both sense danger signals originating from these organelles and use the compartment as a scaffold to assemble the complex. Understanding where and when NLRP3 inflammasome assembly occurs may help identify potential targets for treatment of NLRP3-related disorders.

Background Information LVAD (Left Ventricular Assist Device) is an electromechanical device which augments the cardiac circulation and output used as a bridge to replace a patient's failing heart function with end stage heart disease and/or failure awaiting either a heart transplant or destination therapy (determination of end of life care). The LVAD is surgically attached to the heart to help maintain left ventricle contractility. American Heart Association estimates 50,000 – 100,000 advanced heart failure patients that with an LVAD could experience an increased chance of survival with improved lifestyle quality. An increase of LVAD patients are needing surgical treatments; thereby seeing an increase number of patients in the perianesthesia area. While training has been established for registered nurses, no formal training has been implemented for unlicensed assistive perianesthesia nursing personnel. Objectives of Project Assess unlicensed perianesthesia nursing personnel with regards to LVAD knowledge. Determine knowledge deficits to educate and increase awareness of complications, nursing care, and reporting of pertinent facts to licensed staff. Process of Implementation Formulated questionnaire to determine knowledge base and implications of LVADs. PowerPoint presentation, training fact sheets, and in-services of unlicensed assistive perianesthesia personnel implemented. Follow up questionnaire to determine knowledge gained. Policy and procedure manual on unit. FAQ sheet done. Unlicensed nursing personnel algorithm posted at nursing desk. Statement of Successful Practice Post educational data results and observed changes in practice revealed an increased knowledge base and awareness by unlicensed assistive personnel of LVADs in identifying issues related to LVADs to report to perianesthesia registered nurses and to assist the RNs with care of LVAD patients and their families. Increased comfort level and competency in assisting LVAD patients noted. Implications for Advancing the Practice of Perianesthesia Nursing A future tool implemented for orientation and competency checklist for unlicensed assistive perianesthesia personnel.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) cause a huge burden of morbidity worldwide with recurrence of UTIs becoming significantly frequent due to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains. Recent research has focussed on interactions between the innate and adaptive immune responses to pathogens colonizing the urinary tract. Inflammasomes are part of the innate immune defense and respond rapidly to several infectious diseases. Assembly of the multiprotein inflammasome complex activates Caspase-1, processes proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-18, and induces pyroptosis. These effector pathways, in turn, act at different levels to either prevent or resolve infection, or eliminate the infectious agent itself. Whilst in certain instances inflammasome activation promotes tissue pathology, the precise functions of inflammasomes in UTIs remain unexplored. In this review, we discuss recent studies on the roles of inflammasomes in UTIs with a particular focus on common infections of the urinary tract. An improved understanding of inflammasomes may provide valuable novel approaches for the design of diagnostics and therapeutics for complicated UTIs, thus enabling us to counteract the challenge of drug resistance.

This chapter seeks to examine criminology’s role in the social contestation of the contagion phenomenon. The argument is advanced that criminology is well-placed to scrutinise such developments, particularly given the increasingly synergistic and ‘plastic’ relationship between the ‘special’ and the ‘normal’ within criminal justice. The important role played by human rights in contesting excessive securitisation, moreover, will require deeper criminological engagement with human rights. In this regard, it is argued that the application of governmentality-informed criminological concepts may help to illuminate the process and context in which departures from human rights standards are made and the ‘rationalities’ and ‘knowledges’ facilitating them.

This chapter aims to examine the cross-cutting trends, and indeed differences, in counter-terrorism law and policy across the three jurisdictions. In all three we can point to evidence of ‘all-risks’ policing, mass surveillance, broadly drafted legislation, a growing range of precursor offences and increasing resort to administrative over judicial authorities. Admittedly, this has occurred to varying degrees in the three jurisdictions and according to pre-established legislative patterns, practices and political cultures. There have also been marked differences in the application of these laws, emphasising the need for comparative research to examine the law in practice as well as the law in the books.

This chapter on UK counter-terrorism measures begins the book’s empirical analysis of post-9/11 counter-terrorism measures. It examines the historical development of counter-terrorism law and policy in the UK before engaging in a more detailed analysis of post-9/11 legislation and the types of contagion to which it has given rise. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the long experience of the UK with terrorism, and its history of normalisation of counter-terrorism powers, similar patterns can be observed in the post-9/11 period. Certainly in the years immediately following the attacks the government took the opportunity to expand various state powers for general crime control purposes and misused special police powers, to little effect. While this tendency appeared to wane as the 9/11 and 7/7 attacks lost their grip on the political imagination, dangerous precedents had already been set.

This chapter outlines the motivation for the research, which arose from concerns about the impact of counter-terrorism on the direction of travel of the criminal justice system more broadly, and in particular a perceived lacuna in the criminological literature concerning the influence of counter-terrorism on European crime control policy. It also operationalises the ‘contagion’ concept as it is examined in the book and provides a justification for the three case studies selected, namely, the UK, France and Poland. The chapter concludes with an outline of the plan of the book.

The chapter charts France’s extensive experience of counter-terrorism, including radical Islamic terrorism, prior to the Twin Tower attacks, before proceeding to an overview of post-9/11 domestic and European Union legislation. In relation to contagion, the chapter finds exceptional powers, accrued as part of the fight against terror, have been historically applied to drugs, weapons and ‘organised crime’ offences. More recently, this trend has been continued with the ‘opportunistic’ application of state of emergency search powers to drugs and weapons offences to form the majority of prosecutions resulting from the state of emergency measures.

The low level of terrorist activity in Poland has not stopped it legislating in the wake of the recent terror attacks in Europe. This chapter begins with an outline of the historical development of counter-terrorism law and policy in Poland prior to 9/11, before providing a synopsis of post-9/11 domestic and European Union legislation. The final section examines the types of contagion according to the categories set out in Chap. 1. Recent years have seen a series of dramatic reforms of the Polish criminal justice system on the basis of the terrorist threat creating conditions for violations of the rights to liberty, privacy, and so on. In this more recent legislation, the chapter finds strong evidence in support of the ‘contagion’ thesis, particularly in a political context where core democratic guarantees appear under threat.

Drawing on the developing literature on a ‘European penology’ this article seeks to use counterterrorism as a lens through which to re-examine arguments concerning penal moderation in Europe. Counterterrorism measures adopted in the EU and the USA in the post-9/11 period are therefore scrutinized for the lessons they hold about the role of European values and institutions as a ‘shield’ against punitiveness or indeed their ability to, swordlike, cut deep into citizens’ freedoms. The resulting analysis raises questions about the need for a more refined approach to the question of ‘European’ penal values as well as pointing up the continued existence of a culture of rights in the USA.

Cellular lipid metabolism is being increasingly recognized to influence inflammatory responses. de la Roche et al. reveal that cellular sterol trafficking to the endoplasmic reticulum is required for the assembly and the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, thereby coupling lipid homeostasis to innate immune signaling., Cellular lipids determine membrane integrity and fluidity and are being increasingly recognized to influence immune responses. Cellular cholesterol requirements are fulfilled through biosynthesis and uptake programs. In an intricate pathway involving the lysosomal cholesterol transporter NPC1, the sterol gets unequally distributed across intracellular compartments. By using pharmacological and genetic approaches targeting NPC1, we reveal that blockade of cholesterol trafficking through the late endosome–lysosome pathway blunts NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Altered cholesterol localization at the plasma membrane (PM) in Npc1−/− cells abrogated AKT–mTOR signaling by TLR4. However, the inability to activate the NLRP3 inflammasome was traced to perturbed cholesterol trafficking to the ER but not the PM. Accordingly, acute cholesterol depletion in the ER membranes by statins abrogated casp-1 activation and IL-1β secretion and ablated NLRP3 inflammasome assembly. By contrast, assembly and activation of the AIM2 inflammasome progressed unrestricted. Together, this study reveals ER sterol levels as a metabolic rheostat for the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome.

Despite the proliferation of work on the ‘punitive turn’, issues concerning its definition and measurement remain largely under-examined in the mainstream literature. This article seeks to refocus attention on the best ways in which to measure punitiveness and to argue that a more accurate characterization of what we mean by the concept forms an important part of advancing our understanding in this area. To illustrate this point, punitiveness in three countries is measured according to a unidimensional measure, a broader test proposed by Tonry and a fully multidimensional test. It is contended that the very different results produced by these tests suggest the need for greater social-scientific attention to the measurement of the punitiveness concept itself.

In light of recent debates on ‘public criminology’, this article chooses to focus on teaching as a way of reaching more publics. The various characteristics of a more public and engaged discipline are discussed and applied specifically to the teaching of criminology, including the relative merits and demerits of reorienting teaching in this way. Following on from this discussion, the article outlines some practical ways in which this vision can be realised. Given the many affinities between the Burawoyan concept of public ‘-ologies’ and the scholarship of learning and teaching, an argument is advanced for teaching as one of the first steps towards the practice of a more public criminology.

While historically the incorporation of the ECHR in Ireland has met with some complacency, the influence of European human rights norms and standards has been palpable in some areas of penal policy, namely, prisoner voting and (to a lesser degree) the investigation of prisoner deaths. In this regard, Ireland may be regarded as more willing than its closest neighbour, the UK, to engage in a process of ‘controlled liberalisation’ or tactical concession to forestall potential criticisms. On the other hand, several areas of penal policy such as the law and policy on parole continue to highlight the jurisdiction’s resistance to European human rights norms. This chapter discusses these and other developments from the perspective of a small jurisdiction which, perhaps counterintuitively (given suggestions in the research that smaller jurisdictions may be more likely to adopt criminal justice changes from elsewhere), has not always taken its cue in matters of penal policy from the European model.