What is our culture’s approach to wrongdoing, lawbreaking, and harm to individuals and community? Is there another way to look at justice and the law?
For centuries, Ireland operated without prisons or police, tackling legal issues through the Brehon law – a complex and fascinating legal code that focused on restorative rather than punitive justice.
In this workshop, students will test out the Brehon law by holding their own trial. They will experience the similarities and differences of this approach to our modern legal system, and will have a chance to explore a completely different approach to crime and punishment. They will be guided through some of the principles and processes of Brehon Law and will explore concepts of fair play, justice, and legality through a mock-trial.
Through this workshop, students will experience the concept of restorative justice in the context of a real legal code that held sway on this island for thousands of years.