Veronica Holland
Deputy Director, Reducing Offending Division, NIPS, Northern Ireland
Veronica has worked in the Department of Justice for 15 years across a range of areas including victims and witnesses, violence against the person and reducing offending.
In her current post Veronica has responsibility for development a new Reducing Offending and Reoffending Strategy, consideration of alternatives to remand (including the introduction of a new bail support scheme – for women in the first instance) and expansion of the use of restorative justice approaches, through a new adult diversionary pilot. She also is responsible for new youth justice provisions in the Justice Bill dealing with bail, remand and custody.
This work provides strategic direction, oversight and monitoring of efforts to reduce offending and reoffending, working in partnership with criminal justice, voluntary sector and Departmental partners, to improve outcomes for offenders and ultimately build a safer Northern Ireland through reducing offending behaviour.
Prior to this Vernica was responsible for bringing forward a five-year Victim and Witness Strategy; new Victim and Witness Charters; and the introduction of Registered Intermediaries (communication specialists) schemes to all criminal court tiers.
She also was responsible for introducing a range of initiatives to tackle domestic and sexual abuse, including the introduction of a new Domestic Abuse Offence, a Domestic Homicide Review model, a Domestic Violence and Abuse Disclosure Scheme and an Advocacy Support service. She also contributed to the development of the Executive’s Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy and prepared a new Stopping Domestic and Sexual Abuse Strategy in conjunction with the Department of Health.