The Irish Government should consider radically overhauling the judicial system in a bid to halt the crime epidemic that is sweeping the country.That is according to Independent Councillor and former Mayor of Clare Patricia McCarthy who said the Irish public had lost faith in the Irish Courts’ ability to impose sentences severe enough to deter criminal activity. She pointed to figures from the Central Statistics that indicate a year-on-year increase in crimes including murder, physical assaults, aggravated burglary, car theft and drugs possession.
Councillor McCarthy explained, “Crimes and those who commit them are not being punished severely enough by the Irish Courts. The sentences being handed out are far too lenient and only serve to reinforce the determination of criminals to continue with their activity.” She added that many people had lost faith in the system which, as the statistics showed, was failing to deter people from engaging in criminal activity.
“Increasingly and regrettably we are witnessing a lack of willingness among members of the public to report crime as they have lost faith in the system. Should this lack of trust in the system prevail then the criminal fraternity will continue to prosper and the basic fabric of society will continue to be undermined,” stated Councillor McCarthy.
She noted that the suffering of victims of crime was not being given enough consideration by the system. The Shannon-based Councillor continued, “Crime is not victimless and victims can suffer the effects long after the perpetrators have served their sentence. The Courts, however, do not take this into account fully when handing out sentences. This has contributed to the spread of crime and has resulted in vulnerable sections of society, particularly the elderly and those living alone, becoming prisoners in their own homes. They are fearful of crime in their locality and they should be.”
Meanwhile, Councillor McCarthy expressed concern over recent reports that members of the Judiciary are exempt from the public service pension levy. “If members of the Judiciary are excluded by the Constitution then they should opt to participate in the levy scheme. No sector of the society should be exempt from the nationwide cross-sectoral efforts to bring order to the country’s finances,” concluded Ms. McCarthy.
Councillor McCarthy explained, “Crimes and those who commit them are not being punished severely enough by the Irish Courts. The sentences being handed out are far too lenient and only serve to reinforce the determination of criminals to continue with their activity.” She added that many people had lost faith in the system which, as the statistics showed, was failing to deter people from engaging in criminal activity.
“Increasingly and regrettably we are witnessing a lack of willingness among members of the public to report crime as they have lost faith in the system. Should this lack of trust in the system prevail then the criminal fraternity will continue to prosper and the basic fabric of society will continue to be undermined,” stated Councillor McCarthy.
She noted that the suffering of victims of crime was not being given enough consideration by the system. The Shannon-based Councillor continued, “Crime is not victimless and victims can suffer the effects long after the perpetrators have served their sentence. The Courts, however, do not take this into account fully when handing out sentences. This has contributed to the spread of crime and has resulted in vulnerable sections of society, particularly the elderly and those living alone, becoming prisoners in their own homes. They are fearful of crime in their locality and they should be.”
Meanwhile, Councillor McCarthy expressed concern over recent reports that members of the Judiciary are exempt from the public service pension levy. “If members of the Judiciary are excluded by the Constitution then they should opt to participate in the levy scheme. No sector of the society should be exempt from the nationwide cross-sectoral efforts to bring order to the country’s finances,” concluded Ms. McCarthy.
