Speaker Biographies
'Young People and Crime - Where to Now?'
Ms Michelle Shannon
Michelle Shannon is the National Director of the Irish Youth Justice Service. She is a graduate of UCD and has worked in a number of senior positions since joining the Department of Justice and Equality in 1994. Her responsibilities have included Crime Policy; Prisons and Probation Policy; and HR.
Michelle previously worked in the Department of Education and Science dealing with Youth and Sports, and the Vocational Education Committees. Prior to her current appointment she spent three years as head of Human Resources in the Department of Justice and Equality.
Ms Estelle MacDonald
Estelle is a very successful inner city Headteacher who transformed her current school from special measures (failing School) to outstanding in under two years. Her school has a national reputation for the quality of its provision, particularly the impact of Restorative Practices. Estelle played a leading role in establishing Hull City's Restorative Community Plan and is now working to support organisational change in schools and other organisations. She is the head of Hull Centre for Restorative Practice and on the management group of Sutton Place - an alternative to custody provision in Hull for young offenders.
Mr Mark Finnis
Mark Finnis is an experienced Restorative Practices trainer and practitioner. He was an original member of the Sefton Centre for Restorative Practices, where he gained extensive experience in training, development and implementation of restorative practices across the authority. Mark then worked as Assistant Director for the International Institute of Restorative Practice, UK, where he led training and development at both local and national levels. In 2008 Mark joined the Hull Centre for Restorative Practices, acting as a consultant and lead trainer for the City.
Dr Lars Rand Jensen
Lars Rand Jensen is Chairman of the Committee for Cooperation between: The Social Sector, The Educational Sector and the Police (SSP), under the Danish Crime Prevention Council. He is also Advisor for Crime Prevention at the Danish Crime Prevention Council in the Danish Ministry for Justice.
He served for 12 years as Chief Constable in Esbjerg and 15 years as Chief Constable in Odense. He is a member of the faculty board in the University of Southern Denmark and has published books on criminology, alternatives to prison, social work, and policing and alcohol and drug abuse.
Mr Henrik Andersen
Henrik Andersen is Senior Prosecutor at Fyns Politi under the Danish Ministry of Justice. He is former Chief Constable of Nyborg and served as Chairman for the Danish Association of Prosecutors from 1996 to 2002. He has published ‘Prevention of Finance Blackmail’ at the Danish Crime Prevention Council.
Mr Seán Redmond
Seán Redmond is Head of Young Offender Programmes with the Irish Youth Justice Service. Seán qualified as a social worker in 1988 and has over the last 20 years worked in the fields of juvenile justice, child welfare and prison resettlement.
Prior to joining IYJS in 2008, Seán was Assistant Director for Children’s Services with Barnardos.
Superintendent Colette Quinn
Superintendent Colette Quinn works at Community Relations & Community Policing in An Garda Síochána and is head of the Garda Office for Children & Youth Affairs since 2007. Among her areas of responsibility are, the Garda Schools Programme, the Garda Diversion Programme, the Garda Age Card programme and Garda Youth Diversion Projects. Her office also has responsibility for Victim Support and Family Liaison.
Colette is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin with a BSc (Management) and University of Ulster with an MSc in Executive Leadership. She is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia and she is currently completing a Barrister-at-Law degree with Kingsinns, Dublin.
Ms Alice Chapman
Since the creation of the Youth Justice Agency in 2003, Alice has been Director of the Youth Conference Service, focusing on establishing the framework for the introduction of restorative youth justice and overseeing its roll-out across Northern Ireland. This extensive roll-out programme was completed in December 2006.
For over 20 years Alice worked in the Criminal Justice System through the Probation Board of Northern Ireland. In the subsequent five years, Alice was Director of the Community Safety Centre. Alice is also a Director of the Criminal Justice National Training Organisation.
