Bláithín’s work focuses on penology, sentencing, and criminal justice, with particular attention to the comparative effectiveness of prison and community sanctions. Her research explores the role of sentencing practices in promoting rehabilitation and reintegration, and critically examines the use of imprisonment as a last resort as part of this.

Bláithín is also interested in the intersection between criminal justice and human rights, particularly in how the criminal justice system addresses the needs of persons with mental health conditions and disabilities. 

Bláithín has a strong interest in translating criminological research into actionable policy and practice. Drawing from implementation science, Bláithín is interested in how evidence-based approaches can be integrated into public policy and the legal framework, ensuring that reforms are not only informed by research but also effectively implemented. 

Keywords: Criminal Justice, Sentencing, Penology, Penal Reform, Human Rights, Disability, Mental Health

Bláithín O'Shea is a Teaching Assistant in the School of Law at UL. She graduated from UL with a first-class honours LLB in 2017 (with two UL President Academic Achievement awards). In 2018, she was awarded the James Healy Scholarship to undertake an LLM in UCD, for which she also received a first-class honours. After being awarded the competitive Honourable Mr. Justice John Murray PhD Fellowship in 2019, Bláithín began her doctoral studies under the joint supervision of Dr Susan Leahy and Dr Alan Cusack in UL.

Bláithín has disseminated her research at a number of national and international conferences including the Irish Association of Law Teachers Annual Conference (for which she was awarded the Matheson Postgraduate Scholarship), the North/South Criminology Conference, Socio-Legal Studies Association Annual Conference, the Howard League for Penal Reform, and the British Society of Criminology Annual Conference.

Bláithín is a member of the Centre for Crime, Justice & Victims Studies in UL and the British Society of Criminology’s Vulnerability Research Network.