The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) has announced that the 2012 IPRT Annual Lecture – Sentencing Guidelines and the Sentencing Council: ‘promoting greater consistency in sentencing’ – will be delivered by The Honourable Mr Justice Colman Treacy of the High Court of England and Wales.
The event takes place from 6-8pm on Thursday, 20th September, 2012 in Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin 8.
The IPRT says that this lecture comes at a time when a number of critical issues face the Irish penal system, not least those relating to sentencing. For several years, IPRT has identified the issue of mandatory and presumptive sentencing as a key factor in the dramatic increase in our prison population over the last decade. At the same time, concern is often voiced in the media and in public discourse on crime about a perceived problem of inconsistency in sentencing – and in particular, a perceived problem with unduly lenient sentences sometimes being imposed for serious crimes.
IPRT believes that greater transparency and consistency in sentencing can be achieved, while at the same time ensuring the independence of the judiciary.
To this end, IPRT has invited The Honourable Mr Justice Colman Treacy to Dublin to speak on the work of the Sentencing Council of England and Wales. An independent, non-departmental public body of the Ministry of Justice, the Sentencing Council produces guidelines on sentencing for the judiciary and aims to increase public understanding of sentencing. The event will be chaired by The Hon. Mr. Justice Paul McDermott, Judge of the Irish High Court.
The event is free, but places are limited. To register, please contact Mary at tel: 01-8741400 or email: info@iprt.ie or register online.