School of Law

Brian Graduated from Queen’s University Belfast in June 2004 with a BSc in Psychology. Brian then elected to remain in Belfast to complete a Masters in Criminology (September 2006) and a PhD in Criminology (July 2012) both at the School of Law Queen’s University Belfast. 

Brian’s primary research interests lie in the areas of transnational organised crime, policing, and restorative justice. Brian is currently a Research Fellow on a major research project entitled “North-South Irish Responses to Transnational Organised Crime,” funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. The project is led by Professor Tom Obokata (Principal Investigator) and examines the extent to which Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland has been successful in implementing action against major crimes such as drug and human trafficking as well as cigarettes/fuel smuggling, with particular reference to cross-border co-operation. 

Brian’s Doctoral research (completed July 2012) explored the construction of partnerships between a community-based restorative justice project and the police in Nationalist/Republican communities of West Belfast, Northern Ireland. The research was funded by a Department for Employment and Learning PhD Studentship under the supervision of Professor Shadd Maruna and Professor Kieran McEvoy (Queen’s University Belfast).

Finally, Brian (along with Dr Vicky Conway) was commissioned by the Restorative Justice Forum to conduct a mapping exercise of all the restorative justice work currently being done in Northern Ireland. The results of the study were published in November 2010 to correspond with International Restorative Justice Week. Brian currently sits on the Restorative Justice Forum events sub-group and is a member of the Northern Ireland Restorative Justice Practitioners Forum. 

Journal Articles

Payne, B. & Conway, V. (2011) A Framework for a Restorative Society? Restorative Justice in Northern Ireland, European Journal of Probation 3 (2). pp. 47-73. ISSN 2006-2203

Payne, B., Conway, V., Rice, F., Bell, C., McNeill, C., Flynn, H., Falk, A. (2010), Restorative Practices in Northern Ireland: A Mapping Exercise Belfast: Northern Ireland Restorative Justice Forum (A commissioned report of the Restorative Justice Forum)

Payne, B. (2010) “Community Safety from the Bottom Up: Lessons from Northern Ireland,” in M. Idriss, et al (Eds). International Report on Crime Prevention and Community Safety: Trends and Perspectives, Montreal, CA: International Centre for the Prevention of Crime. ISBN: 978-2-921916-69-1

Payne, B. (2008) Review of Informal reckonings: Conflict resolution in mediation, restorative justice and reparations by Andrew Woolford and R.S. Ratner, Punishment & Society 10: 341-343

Other Publications 

(with Prof Tom Obokata) Response to the Department of Justice Consultation on the Amendment to the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants etc) Act 2004  (May 2012) 

(on behalf of Community Restorative Justice Ireland) Response to the Department of Justice Consultation on a new Community Safety Strategy for Northern Ireland (February, 2011)