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Comprehensive overview of the Irish criminal justice system, its current problems and its vision for the future. Collection of essays by major office-holders, experienced practitioners, leading academics, legal scholars, sociologists, psychologists, philosophers and educationalists.
This book explores how Irish prison policy has come to take on its particular character, with comparatively low prison numbers, significant reliance on short sentences and a policy-making climate in which long periods of neglect are interspersed with bursts of political activity all prominent features. Drawing on the emerging scholarship of policy analysis, the book argues that it is only through close attention to the way in which policy is formed that we will fully understand the nature of prison policy.
A comprehensive study and interpretation of statistical data concerning crime and the penal system in Ireland. It includes chapters on trends in crime, trends in punishment, prisoners' families and social background, prisoners' criminal and penal history and an overview of crime and punishment.
Concern for crime victims has been a growing political issue in improving the legitimacy and success of the criminal justice system through the rhetoric of rights. Since the 1970s there have been numerous reforms and policy documents produced to enhance victims’ satisfaction in the criminal justice system. The Republic of Ireland has seen a sea-change in more recent years from a focus on services for victims to a greater emphasis on procedural rights. The purpose of this book is to chart these reforms against the backdrop of wider political and regional changes emanating from the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights, and to critically examine whether the position of crime victims has actually ameliorated. The book discusses the historical and theoretical concern for crime victims in the criminal justice system, examins the variety of forms of legal and service provision inclusion, amd concludes by analysing the various needs of victims which continue to be unmet.
Justice, Mercy, and Caprice is a work of criminal justice history that speaks to the gradual emergence of a more humane Irish state. It is a close examination of the decision to grant clemency to men and women sentenced to death between the end of the civil war in 1923 and the abolition of capital punishment in 1990. Frequently, the decision to deflect the law from its course was an attempt to introduce a measure of justice to a system where the mandatory death sentence for murder caused predictable unfairness and undue harshness. In some instances the decision to spare a life sprang from merciful motivations. In others it was capricious, depending on factors that should have had no place in the government's decision-making calculus. The custodial careers of those whose lives were spared repay scrutiny. Women tended to serve relatively short periods in prison but were often transferred to a religious institution where their confinement continued, occasionally for life. Men, by contrast, served longer in prison but were discharged directly to the community. Political offenders were either executed hastily or, when the threat of capital punishment had passed, incarcerated for extravagant periods. This book addresses issues that are of continuing relevance for countries that employ capital punishment. It will appeal to scholars with an interest in criminal justice history, executive discretion, and death penalty studies, as well as being a useful resource for students of penology.
This book represents a critical examination of key aspects of crime and criminal justice in Northern Ireland which will have resonance elsewhere. It considers the core aspects of criminal justice policy-making in Northern Ireland which are central to the process of post-conflict transition, including reform of policing, judicial decision-making and correctional services such as probation and prisons. It examines contemporary trends in criminal justice in Northern Ireland and various dimensions of crime relating to female offenders, young offenders, sexual and violent offenders, community safety and restorative justice. The book also considers the extent to which crime and criminal justice issues in Northern Ireland are being affected by the broader processes of 'policy transfer', globalisation and transnationalism and the extent to which criminal justice in Northern Ireland is divergent from the other jurisdictions in the United Kingdom. Written by leading international authorities in the field, the book offers a snapshot of the cutting edge of critical thinking in criminal justice practice and transitional justice contexts.
Criminal Law: Cases and Commentary is designed to help law students to understand the fundamental rules, principles and policy considerations that govern the criminal law in Ireland.
The Irish criminal justice system is vast, heavily regulated, and intensely litigated. In the last ten years alone, there has been a plethora of new legislation introduced, significantly impacting on the operation of the system. Within the criminal process, fundamental human rights and core interests of the community and society as a whole come into sharp conflict. As an area of study, criminal justice and procedure is complex, challenging, and stimulating. This book provides an accessible yet critical analysis of key themes and stages in the Irish criminal process. It begins with an overview of the theoretical framework of the process and then analyzes key issues from initial arrest to sentence and post-sentencing appeals. Controversial questions - such as police powers, the role of the prosecutor, victims' rights, juvenile justice, and miscarriages of justice - are also addressed in a comprehensive and engaging manner. Irish Criminal Justice: Theory, Process and Procedure incorporates up-to-date developments in domestic legislation and case-law, while integrating the latest developments in human rights law, as they affect the area. The book will be essential for all students of criminal justice and procedure, at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. As a comprehensive account of the Irish criminal process, it will also be a useful resource for practitioners in the area.
