News
Mental Health and Capacity Law Conference 2025
The Mental Health and Capacity Law Conference will be held in Cork on 5 September 2025. The conference will be hosted and organised by the Centre of Criminal Justice and Human Rights (CCJHR) at the School of Law, University College Cork (UCC). The 2025 Conference will discuss recent developments and research in mental health and capacity law.
The CCJHR was established by the School of Law in 2006. The Centre seeks to contribute to national and international debates on issues of human rights and criminal justice, through the promotion of cutting-edge interdisciplinary research, innovative programmes of legal education and training, and strategic partnerships with Government, statutory bodies, and civil society organisations worldwide.
The Conference will be free of charge. All are welcome, but registration is required. Registration is now open at the following link: Conference Registration
Please Note: There has been a change in conference venue. The up-to-date conference venue is the Brookfield Health Sciences Building, U.C.C. in room BHSC_G01.
Conference Programme (Subject to Change)
9:45am - Registration commences
Morning Panel: 10:00am - 12:30pm
10:00am - Welcome from Director of the Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights
10:05am - Welcome by Chair of the morning session
Invited Speakers on the Morning Panel
- Dr Nicola Maxwell, Gráinne Mulcahy, and Claire McCarthy (iD+ futures, University College Cork)
- Dr Joanna Ralston BL
"Capacity Applications and Wardship Discharge Applications: A Practitioner’s Perspective"
- Áine Flynn (Director of the Decision Support Service)
“The Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 and the Decision Support Service: Overview and Updates”
- Martha Griffin (Assistant Professor in Mental Health, DCU; Mad in Ireland) and Jennifer Hough (PhD Candidate, University of Galway; Mad in Ireland)
“Beyond the Current Paradigm: What Human Rights Really Means in Mental Health Law”
Afternoon Panel: (2:00pm – 4:00pm)
Invited Speakers on the Afternoon Panel
2:00pm - Welcome from Dean of the School of Law, Prof. Conor O’Mahony
2:05pm - Welcome by Chair of the afternoon session
- Orla Keane BL (Mental Health Commission)
"Is the Mental Health Bill person centred and human rights focused?"
- Professor Gautam Gulati (Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist)
“Prison Psychiatry- Myths, Realities and Solution”
3:10pm - Q&A
3:40pm - Closing address by Director of the Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights
Parking for Conference Guests
There are a number of paid visitor car parks which are close to the conference venue.
One of the closest options is Perrott’s Inch on Gaol Walk (just across from Aras na Laoi), which is roughly a seven-minute walk from the conference venue: https://maps.app.goo.gl/sVLp6r98YP557gmE7
The Sacred Heart Car Park is also just a few minutes walk from the venue: https://maps.app.goo.gl/J2R9TkJzm9bDeSbHA
Another option is the Perrott Avenue car park, which is close to College Road.
More details on UCC guest parking can be found here: https://www.ucc.ie/en/discover/visit/parking/
Speaker Biographies
Áine Flynn is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin and the Law Society of Ireland. As a practising solicitor, she specialised in public interest law, including disability, equality and mental health and capacity law. She was a member of the panel of legal representatives for the Mental Health Tribunal and the Mental Health (Criminal Law) Review Board from their inception. She holds an advanced diploma in Quasi-Judicial Decision-Making. She is a long-standing member and current Vice Chair of the Law Society’s Human Rights and Equality Committee. In 2023, she was named Irish Healthcare Person of the Year for the Decision Support Service’s work to promote the new capacity legislation in the healthcare sector. In October 2017, Áine commenced in post as the first Director of the Decision Support Service under the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 with initial responsibility for the establishment of the service, which has now been operational since April 2023.
Martha Griffin is an Expert by Experience, Assistant Professor in Mental Health in DCU, and a Peer Educator with the Dublin North, North East Recovery College. Martha has studied law and is qualified as a Community Development Worker. Martha is passionate about human rights and mental health and would like to see life after a successful mental health movement where a new paradigm and world order would reign and Martha could spend more time with her family and her garden. Martha is a Mad in Ireland team member.
Professor Gautam Gulati is a Forensic Psychiatrist, Adjunct Full Clinical Professor at the School of Medicine at the University of Limerick and Adjunct Professor at the School of Law at University College, Cork. He holds higher degrees in Law (PhD) and in Medicine (MD) with expertise in human rights, policing and prisons and has published extensively in this area, authoring two textbooks and over one hundred abstracts. He has served as an advisor to state bodies in the United States, Ireland, Denmark, Romania, Belgium, Spain, and Austria. He serves as International Consultant to European institutions.
Jennifer Hough is a social justice and human rights advocate who works to address injustice using strategic law and policy analysis to campaign and communicate in order to bring about change. She has worked for 15 + years in campaigning journalism, policy and research and strategic advocacy roles. Jennifer aims to challenge inadequate law and policy using a range of tools to influence and advocate. Jennifer is a Mad in Ireland team member & PhD candidate, School of Law, Galway.
Joanna Ralston is a practising Barrister-at-Law with 23 years post qualification experience. She is based in Cork and has a broad general practice on the Cork Circuit and Dublin. In particular Joanna has developed her practice specialising in child and family law. Joanna has particular interest and expertise in mental health law, capacity law and the law surrounding vulnerable persons. Joanna holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree, a BCL and an LLM (Child and Family Law), First-Class Honours from University College. Joanna also completed a PhD in the area of mental health law and children’s rights at University College Cork in December 2022. From 2015 to 2022 Joanna was an Assistant Law Lecturer at the Law School at University College Cork. Since September 2023 to May 2024 Joanna was a Lecturer in law at the Law School at University College Cork In April 2025 Joanna was appointed as a Member of the Board of the Mental Health Commission by the Minister of State for Mental Health
- See https://www.lawlibrary.ie/members/joanna-ralston-kelleher-bl/
- Email joanna.ralston@lawlibrary.ie
Available Abstracts
“The Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 and the Decision Support Service: Overview and Updates” (Áine Flynn)
Brief abstract: This presentation will focus on the key reforms introduced by the legislation, including the guiding principles and support framework, and the establishment and functions of the Decision Support Service. The presentation will reflect on the Decision Support Service’s experience since the Act’s commencement in April 2023 and consider emerging themes and possible future direction.
“Beyond the Current Paradigm: What Human Rights Really Means in Mental Health Law” (Martha Griffin and Jennifer Hough)
Brief abstract: For too long, mental health law has been shaped by a narrow biomedical paradigm in which psychiatry retains disproportionate legal control. This has justified coercive practices such as forced hospitalisation and compulsory medication. This presentation argues that until the law fundamentally changes to bring about a shared responsibility model, little will change. True alignment with human rights requires radical law reform that move beyond the current paradigm replacing coercion with autonomy, dignity, and consent, and expanding consent-based, community approaches such as peer support, crisis houses, and open dialogue.
For more on this story contact:
Dr. Luke Noonan at ccjhr@ucc.ie