Graphic Logo for ISIS the Irish Sentencing and Information services depicting scales and text

 

The Board of the Courts Service established a project to plan for and provide information on sentencing decisions. The project is known as the Irish Sentencing Information System, or "ISIS".  It aims to design and develop a computerised information system, on sentences and other penalties imposed for offences in criminal proceedings, which may inform judges when considering the sentence to be imposed in an individual case. The sentencing information system enables a judge, by entering relevant criteria, to access information on the range of sentences and other penalties which have been imposed for particular types of offence in previous cases.

 

The project is overseen by a Steering Committee of judges, together with an expert on Sentencing Law, appointed by the Courts Service Board.
 
The Steering Committee conducted a survey of similar systems in other countries and found those in New South Wales and Scotland to be most relevant.  A study was undertaken of the Scottish system.

 

The ISIS database is intended to be descriptive.  The information is to assist a judge by providing information on sentences which have been given in previous cases.

 

All of the factors in the "Comments" field of the cases on this website are matters which were considered by the court in determining sentence.

 

Pilot Project in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court


The initial data collection phase of this pilot project began in February 2007. Two practising barristers were retained as researchers to collect and collate information on sentencing outcomes in cases disposed of in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Courts, according to criteria approved by the Steering Committee.  Information on sentencing outcomes was recorded by the researchers on a template report form.  This was then transferred to the website. 

 

The researchers have sought to ensure that the data is representative of sentencing practice in general, in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, by collecting information on cases heard by as broad a selection of judges as possible.  The researchers have also sought to collect information relating to a wide a range of offences, although success in achieving this is dependent to an extent on the offences coming before the Court at any point in time. The collection of data in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court concluded in July 2009.

 

Pilot Project in Cork & Limerick Circuit Criminal Court

A pilot exercise commenced to gather information in the Circuit Courts in Cork and Limerick in 2008 and finished at the end of December 2009.

 

Pilot Project in Dublin District Court

A pilot project to gather information from a limited number of District Courts in Dublin commenced in January 2009 and finished in May 2009.  Data in respect of approximately 100 cases has been collected in respect of District Court cases. 

 

Pilot Project in Court of Criminal Appeal

A pilot exercise to gather information about the Court of Criminal Appeal (CCA) commenced in January 2009 and concluded in December 2009.  Researchers collected data on cases which have been decided by the Court of Criminal Appeal and provided case summaries for placing on the website.

 

Publications

A selection of publications on sentencing have been chosen by the Committee.  There are publications on specific aspects of sentencing.  There are also articles on this project, the Scottish system, and that of New South Wales.   

  

Statistics

The Courts Service provided statistics relevant to the issue of sentencing. 

 

 

Steering Committee

The Steering Committee is as follows:

  • The Hon. Mrs. Justice Susan Denham (Chair)

  • The Hon. Mr. Justice Kevin O’Higgins (up to 31st of July 2008)

  • The Hon. Mr. Justice Michael Peart
  • The Hon. Mr. Justice Esmond Smyth
  • The President of the District Court, Ms. Justice Miriam Malone
  • Thomas O’Malley, BA, MA, LL.B, LL.M, Faculty of Law NUI,  Galway

 

Future

This website contains the work gathered by the Steering Committee and the researchers for this pilot project.  It is proposed to assess this project.

The future development of the website and the ongoing maintenance and population of the database will have resource implications which will have to be considered in the context of the current financial climate.