New legislation to make criminal procedures become more efficient
Local Minister James Browne TD says the Government is introducing new legislation which will provide for preliminary trial hearings aimed at improving the overall efficiency of criminal proceedings.
Min Browne, who is Minister of State at the Department of Justice, highlighted aspects of the new Bill to this newspaper and said it will do away with unnecessary time being wasted in criminal proceedings for legal argument to take place.
He said that for both accused people and the victims of crime the new Bill would make criminal proceedings less stressful.
‘Sometimes trials can open and the first few days can be taken up with legal arguments and this can be very discommoding for jury members as well as for those involved in the case,’ said Min Browne.
During a criminal trial, especially those that are held before a jury, it can often happen that during the course of proceedings a lot of time the jury members will be asked to remove themselves from the courtroom while matters of law are argued between barristers.
In other instances certain information contained in the book of evidence will be discussed in the absence of the jury and at times this can lead to situations where the jury could be asked to leave and return to the court on a number of occasions, even on the one day, and on numerous occasions throughout a trial that goes on for a few days or weeks.
The aim of the new Bill will be to do away with a lot of that so that the legal arguments will have already been dealt with, for the most part, prior to the trial actually beginning.
‘By introducing this new Bill, the Criminal Procedure Bill 2021, we aim to improve the operation of criminal trials through preliminary hearings,’ said Min Browne.
‘ These preliminary hearings will make trials more efficient and faster,’ he added.
‘ They will also benefit victims, the courts, defendants, witnesses, and the jury, as potential disruptions common at the beginning of a trial will have already been dealt with in a preliminary trial hearing.’
For the most part the only people who will be allowed into the preliminary trial hearings will be those directly involved in the case itself and members of the press.
However, in the case of a jury trial matters discussed at pre-trial hearings would not be able to be reported on prior to the trial beginning as reporting restrictions would apply.
‘Pre-trial hearings have been recommended through various reports looking at how our court system can function better,’ said Min Browne.
‘I believe these changes will speed up the court lists and ensure justice can be served in a timely manner,’ he added.
Min Browne expects the legislation to be introduced in the Dáil in the coming months and said: ‘It is our aim to have this legislation passed before the summer.’