Postgraduate Researchers

PhD Research Student - School of Social Science, Law and Education, TU Dublin

Project Title: Unpacking the Discourse on Interventions with Persistent Young Offenders 

Project Abstract: 

This PhD research, undertaken at the School of Social Sciences, Law and Education at TU Dublin, is grounded in Criminology and specifically the area of youth justice. The research aims to critically explore the management of persistent youth offending in Ireland through a case study of an initiative of the Irish police, An Garda Síochána, known as the Garda Youth Case Management (GYCM). The research adopts a Bourdieusian framework of fields, actors, capital and habitus, to examine the interaction between actors, the strategies employed by case managers, the symbolic capital generated by them and ultimately how the management of persistent young offenders has evolved while placing GYCM within the broader criminal justice landscape in Ireland. 

Youth Justice in Ireland operates under a hybrid model that is substantially justice based, reflecting the common law nature of the system with due process rights, with welfare influences focusing on the centrality of the child in the process. Diversion is a central pillar of youth justice in Ireland with the vast majority of young people who come into conflict with the law diverted away from the formal criminal justice structures. Those young people who do interact with the court system are afforded many of the special protections in line with international best practices.  

GYCM case managers must traverse that complex field, managing the small cohort of young people who are before the Courts and are most at risk of serious and persistent offending, while maintaining cognisance of the child-centred philosophy of youth justice in Ireland and the community policing ethos of An Garda Síochána. The research takes a qualitative approach to investigate the processes, philosophies, and power dynamics underpinning youth case management thorough in-depth interviews with case managers and key stakeholders. The research aims to contribute to youth justice scholarship by analysing the role of case managers, organisational structures, and interagency collaboration in shaping outcomes for young offenders. 

The researcher brings insider knowledge and practical experience to the study, while maintaining ethical boundaries and academic rigour through reflexive methods and oversight. The research offers original insights into the governance, legitimacy, and impact of case management, with implications for policy, practice, and youth justice reform both nationally and internationally. 

Supervisors: Dr Mairead Seymour