IPRT Resources on Sentencing
28th February 2024
A critical objective of IPRT’s work is to improve transparency about the role, purpose, and current practice in sentencing in Ireland.
To help achieve this, IPRT commissioned some short papers to provide clear and up-to-date information on sentencing policy and practice. Further resources will be added to this webpage over time.
Types of sentencing
A sentence doesn’t always mean a prison sentence (what is called a ‘custodial sentence’). In certain circumstances, there are other types of ‘sentences’ that can be imposed by a court as punishment (on conviction for a criminal offence).
These explainers set out what is meant by each of these types of ‘sentences’ in the criminal justice system.
- Community Service Orders
- Conditional Discharge
- Custodial Sentence
- Deferred Sentence
- Dismissal
- Fines
- Life Sentences
- Suspended Sentences
Briefing Papers on the Aims of Sentencing (coming soon)
What is the purpose of sentencing as part of a criminal justice system?
Sentencing is about a court choosing and then enforcing a punishment for a crime, but what does the criminal justice system, and society, hope to achieve through sentencing?
With these questions in mind, soon we will have short Briefing Papers outlining five principles of punishment that inform Irish sentencing practice.
- Deterrence
- Rehabilitation
- Incapacitation
- Retribution
- Restorative Justice
Related items:
- Invitation to Tender: Rethinking Remand - Exploring current pre-trial detention practices and examining potential alternatives that protect individuals’ rights and reduce unnecessary detention
- Life Sentences and Whole Life Orders - IPRT
- Liberties EU Rule of Law Report 2025
- IPRT letter to the Sentencing Guidelines and Information Committee consultation on guidelines for crimes committed in the context of an intimate relationship
- RTÉ Drivetime: Prison overcrowding and the Programme for Government
