Enduring Punishment: A comparative study of post-sentence discrimination in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Western Australia

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This project aims to explore people's experiences and opinions of post-sentence discrimination; jurisdictions' criminal record regimes; if and what forms of legal rehabilitation are present in the selected countries; and how the jurisdictions compare in provision and experiences. Post-sentence discrimination involves the stigmatisation, limitations, and restrictions people with criminal records experience. This discrimination occurs after they have completed their judicial sentence passed for the offence committed. Discrimination can be formal, or de jure, in law, and involve legal restrictions on the individual, such as disenfranchisement, a reduction in social security benefits, and restrictions in what forms of employment people can enter. Discrimination can also be informal, de jure, or in practice. This discrimination can further impact families and communities too, such as harassment, stigmatisation, and family shunning. The research sites selected are Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Western Australia. These sites have been chosen because of some similar characteristics, such as language, legislation processes, and court systems. Further, there is evidence of issues of over-representation of indigenous minorities within the criminal justice systems, which will be key foci. In being aware of this, principles of Southern Criminology will be drawn upon in theoretical and methodological considerations. This comparative study will involve analysis of secondary documents, such as legislation concerning discrimination mitigation and criminal record regimes. It will also involve qualitative, semi-structured interviews with people with criminal records, criminal justice system stakeholders, such as probation officers and policymakers, and academics. Interviews will be transcribed and thematically analysed using Braun and Clarke's (2012) six step process of exploring the findings, generating codes, locating themes, reviewing themes, defining themes, and writing up the study.