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Module Overview

Criminal Justice System

The aim of this module is to provide students with a critical insight into the Irish criminal justice system. The module will begin with an examination of the various criminal justice system models, how they have developed and changed over time and possible future directions, and this will inform their understanding of the criminal justice system in Ireland generally. The module will provide students with a critical insight and understanding of the role and responsibilities of the key institutions and actors within the system, and how they interact with one another in order to ensure the smooth running of the criminal justice system. The key institutions and actors will also be scrutinised from the perspective of accountability and transparency, and the challenges they currently face.

Module Code

CRIM 9002

ECTS Credits

10

*Curricular information is subject to change

Part A: Introduction to the Criminal Justice System

  1. Models of criminal justice
  2. Classes of criminal offences
  3. Structure and function of the courts

 

Part B: Criminal Justice Institutions

  1. Role of An Garda Síochána and other agencies of law enforcement, with a particular emphasis on police accountability and the role of the Garda Ombudsman Commission.
  2. Role of prosecuting authorities: Chief Prosecution Solicitor and the Director of Public Prosecutions, with particular emphasis on the giving of reasons for non-prosecution.
  3. The judiciary: role and accountability; the ‘Sheedy’ and ‘Curtin’ affairs.
  4. Origins and development of the Jury system: re-examining the role of the jury in the modern criminal justice system; recent developments in other jurisdictions.
  5. Role of the Probation Service: examining the evidence on effectiveness; ‘what works’; issues around resourcing.
  6. Prisons, Prisons Inspector and the Parole Board: is the prison system accountable.

Part 3: Aspects of Criminal Justice

  1. Victims and witnesses: coming in from the cold.
  2. Risk and criminal justice in Ireland.
  3. Crime statistics: what they tell us and what they don’t tell us.

 

Collaborative student-centred learning consisting of lectures, group discussions, independent reading and the use of Brightspace.

Module Content & Assessment
Assessment Breakdown %
Other Assessment(s)100