Community Legitimisation of Irish Republican Paramilitarism in Belfast: A Criminological Understanding

Abstract

The present article assesses the extent to which a community context can play the role in legitimising engagement in paramilitary Irish republicanism. The research analyses this specifically in relation to Belfast. Using thematic analysis of 53 primary source interviews with former paramilitaries and community leaders the research identifies three core themes. These are: republican movement integral to community, distrust of criminal justice system and community legitimisation of paramilitary style attacks. The analysis focuses on the utility of criminological theories and approaches to explain the findings. Specifically, the research assesses the applicability of situational action theory. The research found that a multi-theoretical approach is best applied in the explanation of this process.