Donna Marie McNamara | Law and Government
Biography: Donna graduated with a BCL (Law and Society) degree from Dublin City University in 2013 and achieved an LLM (First Class Honours) from University College Cork in 2014. She was a recipient of the UCC Faculty of Law Scholarship and worked as a legal research assistant to Dr Mary Donnelly.
Donna is currently a PhD candidate under the joint supervision of Dr Yvonne Daly and Dr Aisling de Paor. She received the DCU School of Law and Government PhD Scholarship to conduct doctoral research which considers the rights of suspects with cognitive disabilities in the Irish criminal justice system.
Title: Identifying Obstacles in the Criminal Process for Suspects with Cognitive Disabilities in Light of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Supervisors: Dr Yvonne Daly and Dr Aisling de Paor
Abstract: This PhD examines the rights of suspects with cognitive disabilities within the Irish criminal justice system with reference to international best practice. In particular, the rights contained within the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will be used as a basis for law reform.
Previous studies have proven that people with mental illnesses, learning disabilities and intellectual disabilities are over-represented throughout all stages of the criminal justice system. This research focuses on the pre-trial and trial process in order to determine whether suspects with disabilities are reasonably accommodated in order to exercise their right to a fair trial.
Interests: Donna’s interests lie broadly in the areas of disability law, mental health law, children’s rights, human rights law and criminal justice.
She also has a particular interest in the rights of children living in alternative forms of care and examined this as part of her LLM thesis, entitled ‘Child Participation in Irish Foster Care Proceedings: Assessing Ireland’s Compliance with Article 12 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.’
Conferences
Donna-Marie McNamara, The Detention of Mentally Disordered Offenders in Ireland: Evolution and Contemporary Challenges, European Society of Criminology Conference, 02-September 2015 – 05 September 2015, Porto
Donna-Marie McNamara, The Role of the Mental Health (Criminal Law) Review Board in Ireland, 7th Annual Postgraduate Criminology Conference, 31 August 2015, Queens University Belfast
Education
BCL Law and Society, Dublin City University 2013
LLM Health and Care Law (First Class Honours), University College Cork 2014
Teaching
Lecturer, Legal Research and Methods, September 2015 - December 2015
Tutor, Criminal Law and Advanced Criminal Law, September 2014 - April 2015
Marking Assistant, Foundations of Law and Legal Research, January 2015
Internal Moot Court Examiner, December 2014
Research
Copy-Editor, The Routledge Handbook of Irish Criminology, March – April 2015
(Dr Yvonne Marie Daly, Dr Deirdre Healy, Dr Claire Hamilton, Dr Michelle Butler (eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Irish Criminology, Routledge, 2015)