Minister Dermot Ahern launches Consultation on Criminal Sanctions

The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr. Dermot Ahern T.D., today launched the second in a series of discussion documents leading to the production of a White Paper on Crime. It builds on the consultation process commenced last year, including the first discussion document, which dealt with Crime Prevention.

This latest document deals with Criminal Sanctions and is principally aimed at the general reader. Its purpose is to provide an outline of the current range of penalties available in Irish law, to seek views as to how well these measures are working, and to ask how policy and practice on their use can be developed and implemented.  

Publishing the document, Minister Ahern said: "The public response to the White Paper on Crime process has been very encouraging to date and I would encourage members of the public, community groups and others concerned with criminal justice to provide their views on the questions raised in this latest discussion paper. The use of sanctions, whether in the form of imprisonment or non-custodial penalties, plays an essential part in responding to crime and in protecting the public from further harm.  

How this is best achieved in practice, however, gives rise to many complex issues.  It is therefore important that our long-term planning in this field has a well-founded basis and takes into account an inclusive spectrum of views, with the protection of the public as the pre-eminent consideration."

In addition to inviting written submissions on the issues raised, it is also planned to hold a consultative seminar with a broad range of participants, including community groups, criminal justice experts and other relevant stakeholders.

The closing date for receipt of submissions on this document is end June 2010.  

24 February 2010 

Note for Editors 

In January 2009, the Minister announced that the commencement of work on a process designed to lead to a White Paper on Crime. The White Paper, due to be completed in 2011, will set out the overall policy framework within which measures to tackle crime will be implemented well into the future.

A key element in the consultation process is the production of a series of discussion documents which will be used to give structure to the very broad range of subjects which need to be examined as part of the project.

The first of these documents dealt with Crime Prevention (July 2009) and the feedback received in response to that document has recently been published on the Department's website. Topics under consideration for subsequent documents include the Community and the Criminal Justice system and Organised and ‘non-street’ Crime.