Joint Committee on Justice has published its Report on Minorities engaging with the Justice System

Speaking on the report, Deputy James Lawless, Cathaoirleach of the Committee said “In selecting this topic, the Committee recognised that individuals from minority backgrounds face additional challenges when navigating the justice system. This may include, among other factors, difficulties with language barriers; lack of familiarity with Irish law; and a fear of police or authority from previous experiences in their country of origin or from negative experiences they had with police.”

Deputy Lawless said “In reaching out to stakeholders to gain diverse perspectives on this issue, the written submissions and witnesses provided the Committee with an insight into several areas where they deemed it was most important to improve how minority groups experience their interactions with the justice system. Among the key areas identified include the provision of adequate training, including cultural competency training, for relevant groups within the justice system; the need for there to be greater diversity within juries and greater representation within the justice sector in general; and the impact of intermediary intervention services being provided between minority groups and State agencies.”

The Deputy added “A copy of this report and recommendations will be sent to the Minister for Justice and the Committee looks forward to working proactively and productively with the Minister to address the issues identified regarding the challenges facing minority groups when engaging with the justice system.”

You can read the full report here

Among the recommendations made in the report are:

1. The Committee recommends that Garda members engage with youth projects, particularly projects involving young people from minority backgrounds to improve relations between Gardaí and these communities.

2. The Committee recommends that Garda liaison officers should receive more training and support for their valuable role as intermediaries.

3. The Committee recommends that all people working in the courts system, including courts services staff, lawyers, and judges receive culture competency training to understand how to work across different cultures and to tackle the unconscious bias that may exist and the assumptions they may hold about those from a different background.

4. The Committee recommends that diversity training programmes should include an experiential exercise and should involve representatives from within minority communities being part of or presenting elements of this training first-hand. 

5. The Committee recommends that the composition of juries be examined to ensure a broad societal representation is being achieved, inclusive of minority interests, and then identify an action plan to address gaps arising.

6. The Committee recommends that there is an adequate number of social workers available on a 24-7 basis, to provide Gardaí with the additional knowledge and support surrounding the use of section 12 of the Mental Health Acts 2001-2018.

7. The Committee recommends that the pilot crisis intervention programme for Limerick should begin as soon as possible and recommended that similar crisis intervention teams be extended to the rest of the country.

8. The Committee recommends that the Mental Health Acts 2001-2018 should define a set period as to how long a person should be kept in custody and that this should not exceed a period of three to six hours.

9. The Committee recommends that legal supports and other support facilities for victims of human trafficking should be enhanced, to encourage these victims to come forward and report these crimes.

10. The Committee recommends that the number of staff who are specifically trained to deal with victims of human trafficking should be expanded.

You can read more about the work carried out by the Committee on Justice

ENDS

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