Criminal
Common-law offences and statutes, jury trial and the DPP
Serious offences are tried on indictment before a judge and jury, with the Director of Public Prosecutions conducting prosecutions on Garda evidence. The Special Criminal Court sits without a jury for defined offences.
Key rules
- Indictable offences are tried before a jury in the Circuit or Central Criminal Court.
- The DPP decides whether and on what charge to prosecute.
- The non-jury Special Criminal Court handles certain organised-crime and subversive cases.
Governing law
- Criminal Justice Acts
- Offences Against the State Act 1939
Penalties and consequences
- Fines and imprisonment; sentencing guided by higher-court judgments
In practice
The Special Criminal Court remains controversial precisely because it removes the constitutional default of trial by jury.