Law Society endorses judge’s call for codification of criminal law

Law Society endorses judge's call for codification of criminal law

Michele O'Boyle

The codification of Irish criminal law would introduce “clarity and consistency”, the Law Society of Ireland has said in response to comments by a Supreme Court judge.

Mr Justice Peter Charleton told The Irish Times that the gradual codification of criminal law would solve the problem of having “lots and lots of acts”, sometimes with inconsistent definitions.

He was speaking to the newspaper to mark the publication of Charleton and McDermott’s Criminal Law and Evidence.

Michele O’Boyle, president of the Law Society, said: “Although it would, no doubt, be a huge undertaking, the concept of codification of criminal law in this jurisdiction had gathered quite some momentum in the past.

“A good deal of work has already been done to develop a framework, within which the various categories of criminal law could be separated and codified in a phased approach.”

She added: “The clarity and consistency would be of benefit to all – lawyers, judges, defendants and the victims of crime as well.”​”

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