THE IMPACT of some offences on victims is too often “not sufficiently considered” by the judiciary, which is “somewhat oblivious” when passing sentence, Minister for Justice Alan Shatter said yesterday.
Speaking in Dublin at a consultative forum for victims of crime, Mr Shatter said he would introduce legislation to enable courts to consider the impact on victims and their families of offences such as burglary, theft, road traffic offences and antisocial behaviour.
Current legislation requires courts to consider victim impact statements from those affected by crimes including sexual assault and murder.
The victims’ Bill will broaden the list of offences for which victim impact statements can be given.
“Too frequently the impact of these offences is not sufficiently considered by the judiciary in passing sentence,” Mr Shatter said.
“I do have a concern that on occasions when the courts are passing sentence they are somewhat oblivious to the impact in the daily lives of individuals of specific acts of criminality for which people have been convicted.”
The new legislation would ensure that when addressing the issue of sentencing “a judge fully understands and is fully aware of the impact on the lives of individuals of the crime to which they have been subjected”, he said.
“On occasions, what the courts view as minor offences can be very major events in the life of an individual affected and that must be something the court takes into account, together with all other relevant circumstances, when imposing a sentence,” he said.
The legislation, on which work has begun, will include a statutory right to timely and relevant information, Mr Shatter told the forum.
“In the case of victims of crime, it is clear to me that lack of information about how the criminal process works and about a particular case can aggravate the powerlessness felt by victims and their families,” he said.
Mr Shatter also told the forum, which included 44 voluntary sector organisations and members of the Commission for the Support of Victims of Crime, he could not provide them with immunity from funding cuts.
He would do everything he could “to make available required resources to provide assistance to victims”, he said.
But the groups should carefully consider measures “to reduce costs by enhanced co-operation and the sharing of administrative expenditure, paid staff and premises”, he said.
