Criminal lawyers on justice and injustice
- Injustice
by Giotto
via Wikipedia
I have heard it said that when you get two lawyers in a room, you get at least three opinions. This is, unfortunately, usually true. It is therefore all the more impressive when you can get 133 of them to agree on something. Here’s a letter in today’s Irish Times on the impact of the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill, 2009, which is to be subject to a legislative guillotine before the Dáil rises next week:
…Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill
Madam, – We the undersigned are lawyers whose practices include the area of criminal law. Many of us both prosecute and defend. We see at first hand the effect of crime, particularly violent crime on individuals and communities in our society and we also have a close up view of the criminal justice system with its strengths and its frailties.
We are extremely concerned then about the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2009 which, it appears, is likely to become law this week. It has been introduced without any research to support its desirability and without canvassing expert opinion or inviting contribution from interested parties on the issues. It appears now that it will be passed without proper debate in the Dáil because such debate has been guillotined by the Government.
