Debate contribution: Justice Bill: Consideration Stage
Debate contribution by Mrs Ciara Ferguson on .
- MLA
- Mrs Ciara Ferguson
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 16 June 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Executive Committee Business
- Heading
- Justice Bill: Consideration Stage
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5625197
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I thank the Minister for that update. It is important that we deliver ongoing reliability and quality and professionalism of service, adequate safeguards and conditions for case handling as we expand and develop our restorative justice services. I recognise that practitioners have, thus far, agreed on testing the model and to assess from there how it will work in practical terms. I finish by acknowledging that restorative justice empowers local communities. The Department must embark upon ongoing, meaningful consultation and genuine collaboration with the existing organisations, including Restorative Justice Ireland, given its decades of experience in the unique context of society. Due recognition should be given to our specific social, political, cultural and historical context. Restorative justice practitioners lay the foundation for long-term peace, resilience and cohesion across our communities. Organisations such as Community Restorative Justice (CRJ) Derry, whilst delivering vital conflict resolution efforts, are also doing huge early intervention and upstream preventative work with our children and young people and in our schools. Accredited training, interactive workshops, mentorships, bespoke conflict resolution programmes and community safety training are being provided across schools, youth and sporting clubs, and in our community and statutory organisations in Derry City and beyond. If we want to truly transform our justice system and deliver a system that promotes understanding, responsibility and lasting change whilst reducing reoffending, restorative justice is a central piece of that puzzle. Specific investment must be secured for that area of work if we are to choose restorative justice hand in hand with responsibility. Restorative justice reduces reoffending, protects victims and delivers a more compassionate, competent and credible justice system.
268 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.04 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.90).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- Subject area: Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.04 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.03 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.04 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.90 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.04 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism | 0.39 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.34 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.23 |
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.01 |
| Education structures, integration and community division | 0.01 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:57 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
Disagree with this assessment?
Classifications can be challenged. A person reads every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.