Biography
In 2017, Alan completed a PhD in the School of Law at University College Cork in the area of access to justice for victims of crime with intellectual disabilities. In pursuit of his studies, Alan was awarded a Government of Ireland PhD scholarship from the Irish Research Council as well as a Faculty of Law PhD Scholarship from University College Cork. Alan's research has been widely published in national and international journals including, The International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, The International Journal of Evidence and Proof; Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly and Law, Crime and History and he has provided expert analysis on the treatment of vulnerable witnesses for national media outlets in Ireland including Newstalk FM and The Irish Examiner.
Alan is a qualified solicitor and, subsequent to commencing his doctoral research, practiced for a number of years with Arthur Cox solicitors in Dublin. In 2013 Alan was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights at University College Cork and, more recently, in 2018 he was elected to the Board of Directors for the Irish Criminal Justice and Disability Network. Alan is a professional member of The Law Society of Ireland and is also a member of the Society of Legal Scholars and the Socio-Legal Studies Association. In 2015 Alan was an Academic Visitor at the Centre for Criminology at the University of Oxford (January - March 2015). Alan was appointed in 2018 to the editorial board for the Irish Judicial Studies Journal.
Research Interests
Teaching Interests
Teaching Courses Completed:
Sep-May 2016: Scholarly Approaches to Teaching & Learning in Higher Education, University College Cork.
Sep-May 2015: Teaching and Learning for Graduate Students, University College Cork.
Sep-May 2019: Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, University College Cork.
Professional Activities
Committee
- 2019 COST Action 18121: Cultural Victimology, This COST Action intends to develop an innovative, functional and overarching theoretical framework for cultural victimology. The economic dimension of the activities carried out under the Action has been estimated at 56 million.
- 2019 North-South Criminology Conference Organising Committee, University of Limerick,
- 2018 Victimology Working Group, European Society of Criminology,
- 2014 The Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights (CCJHR), University College Cork,
- 2013 The Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights (CCJHR) Postgraduate Conference Organising Committee, University College Cork,
Association
- 2018 Member of Editorial Board, Irish Judicial Studies Journal
- 2018 Director, Irish Criminal Justice and Disability Network
- 2017 Alternate Chair, Quality Assurance Board, Garda Training College, Templemore, Co. Tipperary
- 2017 Member & Media Manager, Centre for Crime, Justice and Victim Studies, University of Limerick
- 2015 Member, Society of Legal Scholars
- 2015 Member, Socio-Legal Studies Association
- 2013 Member, Arthur Cox Alumni Network, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2
- 2012 Member, The Law Society of Ireland, Blackhall Place, Dublin 7
Education
- 2017 University College Cork - PhD
- 2011 The Law Society of Ireland - Solicitor's Parchment
- 2011 University College Dublin - Diploma in Employment Law
- 2008 University College Cork - LLM
- 2007 University College Cork - BCL
Award
- 2017 - Gold Medal, Best Letter to the Editor, Cork Online Law Review
- 2017 - Postgraduate Course of the Year in Law, LLM General (Author)
- 2015 - Visiting Scholar at the Centre for Criminology, University of Oxford
- 2014 - PhD Research Training Scheme Scholarship, Graduate School of the College of Business and Law, University College Cork
- 2014 - IALT Conference 2014 PhD Scholarship, Irish Association of Law Teachers
- 2013 - Irish Research Council Government of Ireland Scholarship
- 2013 - Faculty of Law PhD Scholarship, University College Cork
Employment
- 2014 School of Law, University College Cork - Part-Time Assistant Lecturer in the Law of Evidence
- 2009 Arthur Cox, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2 - Associate Solicitor
Other
-
- Convener and Founder, CCJHR Working Group Book Club (2014- 2017)
-
- Researcher, Vulnerable Witness Inter-Agency Group, Rape Crisis Network Ireland (2016- To Date)
-
- Completed Disability Law Summer School, Centre for Disability Law and Policy, NUI Galway (June 2014)
-
- Investigator, Review of Second National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence 2016-2021 (2019 - To Date).
-
- Management Committee Delegate, COST Action CA18121: Cultural Victimology (2019 - 2023).
-
- Editor, Irish Judicial Studies Journal (2018 - To Date).
-
- Investigator, Review of Services to Assist in Finalisation of New Victims Charter, Department of Justice (2019 - To Date)
-
- Researcher, Victim Participation in Criminal Proceedings, University of Oxford (February - April 2015)
-
- PhD Examiner, Stephen Strauss Walsh, University of Limerick (21 November 2020)
-
- Reviewer, International Journal of Evidence and Proof (2019 - To Date)
Outreach
-
- June 2011: Participated as an on-site construction volunteer for an infrastructure relief project in Mwandi, Zambia.
Publications
Book Chapters
'Reforming Ireland's Adversarial Trial for Victims of Crime with Intellectual Disabilities'
Alan Cusack
(2020)
'Reforming Ireland's Adversarial Trial for Victims of Crime with Intellectual Disabilities'
In O. Lynch, L. O'Connell and J. Windle (eds.) 'Giving Voice to Diversity in Criminological Research';
London :
Routledge
The Pre-Trial Position of Vulnerable Victims of Crime in Ireland'
Alan Cusack
(2018)
The Pre-Trial Position of Vulnerable Victims of Crime in Ireland'
In P. Cooper, and L. Hunting (eds.) 'Addressing Vulnerability in Justice Systems';
London :
Wildy, Simmonds and Hill Publishing
Peer Reviewed Journals
Intellectual disabilities in Irish prisons: Could Article 13 of the UNCRPD hold the key?
Gulati G.;Cusack A.;Kilcommins S.;Dunne C.
(2020)
Intellectual disabilities in Irish prisons: Could Article 13 of the UNCRPD hold the key?
In International journal of law and psychiatry;
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijlp.2019.101540
Beyond Special Measures: Challenging Traditional Constructions of Competence and Cross-Examination for Vulnerable Witnesses in Ireland'
Alan Cusack
(2020)
Beyond Special Measures: Challenging Traditional Constructions of Competence and Cross-Examination for Vulnerable Witnesses in Ireland'
In Irish Judicial Studies Journal;
Addressing Vulnerability in Ireland's Criminal Justice System: A Survey of Recent Statutory Developments'
Alan Cusack
(2020)
Addressing Vulnerability in Ireland's Criminal Justice System: A Survey of Recent Statutory Developments'
In The International Journal of Evidence and Proof;
Victims of Crime with Intellectual Disabilities and Ireland's Adversarial Trial: Some Ontological, Procedural and Attitudinal Concerns'
Alan Cusack
(2017)
Victims of Crime with Intellectual Disabilities and Ireland's Adversarial Trial: Some Ontological, Procedural and Attitudinal Concerns'
In Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly;
pp. 433-
'From Exculpatory to Inculpatory Justice: A History of Due Process in the Adversarial Trial'
Alan Cusack
(2015)
'From Exculpatory to Inculpatory Justice: A History of Due Process in the Adversarial Trial'
In Law, Crime and History;
SOLON; Plymouth : University of Plymouth :
pp. 1-
Too Many Cooks: Overcrowding in the Labour Law Landscape and the Decline of Collective Negotiations'
Alan Cusack
(2012)
Too Many Cooks: Overcrowding in the Labour Law Landscape and the Decline of Collective Negotiations'
In Irish Employment Law Journal;
Thomson Round Hall :
pp. 45-
Other Journals
Policing Vulnerable Communities: A Reflection on the Future of Policing in Ireland'
Alan Cusack
(2019)
Policing Vulnerable Communities: A Reflection on the Future of Policing in Ireland'
In Cork Online Law Review;
'Addressing Vulnerability in the Irish Justice System: A Reflection on the Future of Policing in Ireland'
Alan Cusack
(2019)
'Addressing Vulnerability in the Irish Justice System: A Reflection on the Future of Policing in Ireland'
In Garda Review;
Book Review: Inventing American Exceptionalism: The Origins of American Adversarial Legal Culture, 1800-1877' by Amalia D. Kessler
Alan Cusack
(2018)
Book Review: Inventing American Exceptionalism: The Origins of American Adversarial Legal Culture, 1800-1877' by Amalia D. Kessler
In Journal of the Early Republic;
Pre-Trial Cross-Examination for Vulnerable Witnesses: An Idea Whose Time Has Come'
Alan Cusack
(2017)
Pre-Trial Cross-Examination for Vulnerable Witnesses: An Idea Whose Time Has Come'
In Cork Online Law Review;
University College Cork
The Right To Love: Over and Under-Criminalisation In The Sexual Autonomy Of Persons With Intellectual Disabilities'
Alan Cusack
(2015)
The Right To Love: Over and Under-Criminalisation In The Sexual Autonomy Of Persons With Intellectual Disabilities'
In Human Welfare: An International Journal of Graduate Research;
Oxford: Green Templeton College :
pp. 8-
Conference Publications
The European Society of Criminology Annual Conference 2019,University of Ghent, Belgium, 19 September 2019
Alan Cusack
(2019)
The European Society of Criminology Annual Conference 2019,University of Ghent, Belgium, 19 September 2019
North/South Criminology Conference 2019, University College Cork, 2 September 2019
Alan Cusack
(2019)
North/South Criminology Conference 2019, University College Cork, 2 September 2019
The Advocate's Gateway 3rd International Advocacy Conference, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, 21 June 2019
Alan Cusack
(2019)
The Advocate's Gateway 3rd International Advocacy Conference, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, 21 June 2019
Irish Association of Law Teachers Annual Conference 2019, Strand Hotel, Limerick, 23 November 2019.
Alan Cusack
(2019)
Irish Association of Law Teachers Annual Conference 2019, Strand Hotel, Limerick, 23 November 2019.
The European Society of Criminology Annual Conference 2019, University of Ghent, Belgium, 20 September 2019
Alan Cusack
(2019)
The European Society of Criminology Annual Conference 2019, University of Ghent, Belgium, 20 September 2019
Irish Criminal Justice and Disability Network Seminar 2017, Central Criminal Court, Dublin 8, 12 April 2018
Alan Cusack
(2018)
Irish Criminal Justice and Disability Network Seminar 2017, Central Criminal Court, Dublin 8, 12 April 2018
SLSA Annual Conference, University of Bristol, 28 March 2018
Alan Cusack
(2018)
SLSA Annual Conference, University of Bristol, 28 March 2018
The European Society of Criminology Annual Conference 2018, University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 31 August 2018.
Alan Cusack
(2018)
The European Society of Criminology Annual Conference 2018, University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 31 August 2018.
Centre for Crime, Justice and Victim Studies Seminar, University of Limerick, 12 March 2018
Alan Cusack
(2018)
Centre for Crime, Justice and Victim Studies Seminar, University of Limerick, 12 March 2018
National Senior Investigating Officer Conference 2018, Knightsbrook Hotel, Trim, Co. Meath, 14 November 2018
Alan Cusack
(2018)
National Senior Investigating Officer Conference 2018, Knightsbrook Hotel, Trim, Co. Meath, 14 November 2018
Irish Criminal Justice and Disability Network Seminar 2017, University of Limerick, 21 February 2018
Alan Cusack
(2018)
Irish Criminal Justice and Disability Network Seminar 2017, University of Limerick, 21 February 2018
Law of Evidence/Criminal Procedure, Dublin City University, Dublin, 12 October 2018
Alan Cusack
(2018)
Law of Evidence/Criminal Procedure, Dublin City University, Dublin, 12 October 2018
Institute of Guidance Counsellors Seminar, Killester College of Further Education, Dublin 5, 17 April 2018
Alan Cusack
(2018)
Institute of Guidance Counsellors Seminar, Killester College of Further Education, Dublin 5, 17 April 2018
Access to Justice for Vulnerable People: International Conference 2017, The Advocate's Gateway, 113 Chancery Lane, London, 2 June 2017
Alan Cusack
(2017)
Access to Justice for Vulnerable People: International Conference 2017, The Advocate's Gateway, 113 Chancery Lane, London, 2 June 2017
Irish Association of Law Teachers Annual Conference 2017, Dunboyne Castle Hotel, 24 November 2017
Alan Cusack
(2017)
Irish Association of Law Teachers Annual Conference 2017, Dunboyne Castle Hotel, 24 November 2017
North/South Criminology Conference 2016, Maynooth University, 23 June 2016
Alan Cusack
(2016)
North/South Criminology Conference 2016, Maynooth University, 23 June 2016
SLS Conference 2016, University of Oxford, 8 September 2016
Alan Cusack
(2016)
SLS Conference 2016, University of Oxford, 8 September 2016
British Crime Historians Symposium 2016, University of Edinburgh, 8 October 2016
Alan Cusack
(2016)
British Crime Historians Symposium 2016, University of Edinburgh, 8 October 2016
SLSA Annual Conference, Lancaster University, 6 April 2016
Alan Cusack
(2016)
SLSA Annual Conference, Lancaster University, 6 April 2016
Centre for Criminology, Informal Seminar Series 2015, University of Oxford, 12 February 2015
Alan Cusack
(2015)
Centre for Criminology, Informal Seminar Series 2015, University of Oxford, 12 February 2015
Irish Society of Comparative Law Annual Conference 2015, University of Limerick, 6 June 2015
Alan Cusack
(2015)
Irish Society of Comparative Law Annual Conference 2015, University of Limerick, 6 June 2015
Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights, Ninth Annual Postgraduate Conference, University College Cork, 8 June 2015
Alan Cusack
(2015)
Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights, Ninth Annual Postgraduate Conference, University College Cork, 8 June 2015
SLS Annual Conference 2015, University of York, 1 September 2015
Alan Cusack
(2015)
SLS Annual Conference 2015, University of York, 1 September 2015
Victims' Rights: An Agenda for Change Conference 2015, University of Limerick, 11 September 2015
Alan Cusack
(2015)
Victims' Rights: An Agenda for Change Conference 2015, University of Limerick, 11 September 2015
Teaching & Learning for Graduate Studies, Postgraduate Symposium 2015, University College Cork, 26 February 2015
Alan Cusack
(2015)
Teaching & Learning for Graduate Studies, Postgraduate Symposium 2015, University College Cork, 26 February 2015
Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights, Eight Annual Postgraduate Conference, University College Cork, 6 June 2014
Alan Cusack
(2014)
Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights, Eight Annual Postgraduate Conference, University College Cork, 6 June 2014
University of Kent Graduate Research Conference, University of Kent, Canterbury, 10 June 2014
Alan Cusack
(2014)
University of Kent Graduate Research Conference, University of Kent, Canterbury, 10 June 2014
Irish Association of Law Teachers Annual Conference 2014, Newpark Hotel, Kilkenny, 9 November 2014
Alan Cusack
(2014)
Irish Association of Law Teachers Annual Conference 2014, Newpark Hotel, Kilkenny, 9 November 2014
Edinburgh Postgraduate Law Conference 2014, University of Edinburgh, 1 December 2014
Alan Cusack
(2014)
Edinburgh Postgraduate Law Conference 2014, University of Edinburgh, 1 December 2014
Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights, Fourth Annual Postgraduate Conference, University College Cork, 29 April 2010
Alan Cusack
(2010)
Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights, Fourth Annual Postgraduate Conference, University College Cork, 29 April 2010
Published Reports
Review of Services to Assist in the Finalisation, Promotion and Circulation of the New Victims Charter
Susan Leahy, Alan Cusack and Shane Kilcommins
(2020)
Review of Services to Assist in the Finalisation, Promotion and Circulation of the New Victims Charter
Dublin :
Department of Justice
Analysis of Text for the Mid-term Review of the Second National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence 2016-2021
Leahy, S, Cusack, A, Kilcommins, S, Spain, E & Vaughan, E
(2019)
Analysis of Text for the Mid-term Review of the Second National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence 2016-2021
Dublin :
Department of Justice
Hearing Every Voice-Towards A New Strategy on Vulnerable Witnesses in Legal Proceedings
Alan Cusack et al.
(2018)
Hearing Every Voice-Towards A New Strategy on Vulnerable Witnesses in Legal Proceedings
Dublin :
Rape Crisis Network Ireland
Victim Participation in Criminal Procedures
Lucia Zedner et al.
(2015)
Victim Participation in Criminal Procedures
University of Oxford :
Oxford: Oxford Pro Bono Publico/REDRESS
Other Publications
Beyond Special Measures: Addressing the Needs of Victims of Crime with Intellectual Disabilities within Ireland's Criminal Trial' Lay Participation in Criminal Proceedings Symposium, LSE Department of Law, London, 6 April 2020 [invited paper]
Alan Cusack
(2020)
Beyond Special Measures: Addressing the Needs of Victims of Crime with Intellectual Disabilities within Ireland's Criminal Trial' Lay Participation in Criminal Proceedings Symposium, LSE Department of Law, London, 6 April 2020 [invited paper]
'Policing Vulnerable Communities: A Reflection on the Future of Policing in Ireland', Criminal Justice in Ireland Blog, 20 February 2019.
Alan Cusack
(2019)
'Policing Vulnerable Communities: A Reflection on the Future of Policing in Ireland', Criminal Justice in Ireland Blog, 20 February 2019.
DOI: https://criminaljusticeinireland.wordpress.com/2019/02/20/policing-vulnerable-communities-a-reflection-on-the-future-of-policing-in-ireland/
Policing Vulnerable Communities: A Reflection on the Future of Policing in Ireland' Policing, Human Rights and Communities Conference, National University of Ireland, Galway, 26 April 2019 [invited paper]
Alan Cusack
(2019)
Policing Vulnerable Communities: A Reflection on the Future of Policing in Ireland' Policing, Human Rights and Communities Conference, National University of Ireland, Galway, 26 April 2019 [invited paper]
Access to Justice for Victims of Crime with Intellectual Disabilities in Ireland' HSE National Safeguarding Office Learning and Development Seminar, Strand Hotel, Limerick, 15 October 2019 [invited paper]
Alan Cusack
(2019)
Access to Justice for Victims of Crime with Intellectual Disabilities in Ireland' HSE National Safeguarding Office Learning and Development Seminar, Strand Hotel, Limerick, 15 October 2019 [invited paper]
Victims in the Irish Criminal Process' National Senior Investigating Officer Conference 2018, Knightsbrook Hotel, Trim, Co. Meath, 14 November 2018 [invited paper].
Alan Cusack and Shane Kilcommins
(2018)
Victims in the Irish Criminal Process' National Senior Investigating Officer Conference 2018, Knightsbrook Hotel, Trim, Co. Meath, 14 November 2018 [invited paper].
Inventing American Exceptionalism: The Origins of American Adversarial Legal Culture, 1800-1877
Cusack, A
(2018)
Inventing American Exceptionalism: The Origins of American Adversarial Legal Culture, 1800-1877
In Journal of the Early Republic;
PHILADELPHIA :
UNIV PENNSYLVANIA PRESS
pp. 733-736
Integration, Not Accommodation: Making the Case for Admitting Expert Testimony on Demeanour of Intellectually Disabled Witnesses' Law of Evidence/Criminal Procedure, Dublin City University, Dublin 12 October 2018 [invited paper]
Alan Cusack
(2018)
Integration, Not Accommodation: Making the Case for Admitting Expert Testimony on Demeanour of Intellectually Disabled Witnesses' Law of Evidence/Criminal Procedure, Dublin City University, Dublin 12 October 2018 [invited paper]
'Radio Interview with Josh Prenderville (Legal Aid) on Limerick Today Show', Live 95FM (8 June 2018)
Alan Cusack
(2018)
'Radio Interview with Josh Prenderville (Legal Aid) on Limerick Today Show', Live 95FM (8 June 2018)
'Radio Interview with Joe Nash on Limerick Today Show', Live 95FM (3 May 2018)
Alan Cusack
(2018)
'Radio Interview with Joe Nash on Limerick Today Show', Live 95FM (3 May 2018)
Enabling Vulnerable Victims to Report Crime', Irish Examiner, 19 December 2018.
Alan Cusack
(2018)
Enabling Vulnerable Victims to Report Crime', Irish Examiner, 19 December 2018.
DOI: https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/views/analysis/enabling-vulnerable-victims-to-report-crime-892889.html
Live Link Testimony' - Invited Radio Interview for Sean Moncrieff Show, Newstalk FM (11 January 2017)
Alan Cusack
(2017)
Live Link Testimony' - Invited Radio Interview for Sean Moncrieff Show, Newstalk FM (11 January 2017)
Making the Case for Introducing Pre-Trial Cross-Examination', Irish Examiner, 28 September 2016.
Alan Cusack
(2016)
Making the Case for Introducing Pre-Trial Cross-Examination', Irish Examiner, 28 September 2016.
Irish Examiner
Exclusion by Design: Adversarial Barriers to Achieving Best Evidence from Victims of Hate Crime with Disabilities', International Network for Hate Studies Conference, University of Limerick, 24- 27 May 2016.
Alan Cusack
(2016)
Exclusion by Design: Adversarial Barriers to Achieving Best Evidence from Victims of Hate Crime with Disabilities', International Network for Hate Studies Conference, University of Limerick, 24- 27 May 2016.
Deaf Victims of Crime in Ireland: Identifying Challenges and Recognising the Need for Change', Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights Seminar Series, (Discussant), 29 April 2015
Alan Cusack
(2015)
Deaf Victims of Crime in Ireland: Identifying Challenges and Recognising the Need for Change', Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights Seminar Series, (Discussant), 29 April 2015
An Inconvenient Truth: Epistemic Flaws in the Adversarial Legal Tradition', University of Edinburgh, Law PhD Conference Blog, 19 November 2014
Alan Cusack
(2014)
An Inconvenient Truth: Epistemic Flaws in the Adversarial Legal Tradition', University of Edinburgh, Law PhD Conference Blog, 19 November 2014
In University of Edinburgh, Law PhD Conference Blog;
University of Edinburgh
'The Right To Love: Over And Under-Criminalisation In The Sexual Autonomy Of Persons With Intellectual Disabilities', HumanRights.ie, 3 December 2014.
Alan Cusack
(2014)
'The Right To Love: Over And Under-Criminalisation In The Sexual Autonomy Of Persons With Intellectual Disabilities', HumanRights.ie, 3 December 2014.
In Human Rights in Ireland;
Life in a Corporate Law Firm', Invited Company Law Lecture, School of Law, NUI Galway, 24 March 2014
Alan Cusack
(2014)
Life in a Corporate Law Firm', Invited Company Law Lecture, School of Law, NUI Galway, 24 March 2014