Victimisation and Attitudes Towards Former Political Prisoners in Northern Ireland

Bibliographic Data

ID4087341
AuthorsJohn D Brewer (0000-0002-4213-5830), Bernadette C Hayes
Year2015
Volume27
Issue4
Pages741-761
Publication date2015-08-08
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueTerrorism and Political Violence (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0954-6553 • E-ISSN: 1556-1836
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/09546553.2013.856780
OpenAlexW2092761913
LanguageEN
Citations received2

The release of ex-combatants and the mechanisms for their re-integration within society has become an increasingly controversial issue in peace settlements. Yet to date, the view of victims concerning such arrangements in post-conflict societies remains unexplored. Mindful of this omission and using Northern Ireland as a case study, this article investigates the relationship between victimisation and attitudes towards the treatment of former political prisoners. Based on the 2011 Northern Ireland Social and Political Attitudes Survey, the results suggest that individual victims—those who directly and/or indirectly experienced violent incidents—are notably less supportive of a punitive approach towards the treatment of former political prisoners than non-victims. Moreover, this is particularly the case when victims from within the Catholic community are considered. The Northern Ireland evidence suggests that victims can act as a positive and inclusive force in terms of the rehabilitation and re-integration of former combatants in societies emerging from conflict

Criminology · Ethnology · Geography · Human settlement · Northern ireland · Poison control · Political science · Politics · Punitive damages · Sociology · Suicide prevention · Victimisation · Gender, Security, and Conflict · Irish and British Studies · Medicine · Peacebuilding and International Security · Law