Module Code - Title:
LA4032
-
CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
Year Last Offered:
2026/7
Hours Per Week:
Grading Type:
N
Prerequisite Modules:
Rationale and Purpose of the Module:
This course will consider the procedures to be used in the criminal justice system from the earliest moment of investigation, right through to sentencing. The system as a whole will be evaluated from various value-based positions, encouraging critical reflection among students. Key areas such as policing, trial procedure, and the sentencing process will be considered in depth. The course will involve a mixture of legal detail and sociological theory to give a rounded appreciation of the issues addressed. By the end of the course students should have a strong, and critical, understanding of the how the criminal justice system operates.
Syllabus:
Criminal Justice Models, Adversarial System, Jury Trials, Due Process, Classifications of Crime, Delay, An Garda Siochana, The Irish Courts/ Prisons, Police Powers, Stop and Search, Arrest & Detention, Questioning and Legal Representation, Bail, Prosecutions & Trial Procedure, Initiating Court Proceedings, Indictments, Arraignments and Pleas, Evidence & the Jury, the Special Criminal Court, Principles of Sentencing, Sentencing Options, Appeals, Miscarriages of Justice.
Learning Outcomes:
Cognitive (Knowledge, Understanding, Application, Analysis, Evaluation, Synthesis)
On successful completion of this module, a student will be able to:
Recount fundamental concepts underpinning the Irish criminal justice system, such as due process, burden of proof and the importance of the jury;
Explain the role of the various institutions, bodies and individuals which operate within the system;
Examine the safeguards which exist within the system to protect the individual against breaches of their constitutional and human rights;
Outline the procedure which the prosecution of an individual follows from arrest to conviction;
Locate and interpret the relevant case law and statutes in the area;
Critically evaluate the operation of the Irish criminal justice system.
Affective (Attitudes and Values)
N/A
Psychomotor (Physical Skills)
N/A
How the Module will be Taught and what will be the Learning Experiences of the Students:
There will be two hours a week of lectures, plus tutorials which will run fortnightly.
Prime Texts:
Vicky Conway and Yvonne Daly (2010)
Irish Criminal Justice: Theory, Process and Procedure
, Clarus Press
Walsh, D. (2002)
Criminal Procedure
, Dublin: Thomson Round Hall
Other Relevant Texts:
Hamiliton, C. (2007)
The Presumption of Innocence and Irish Criminal Law
, Dublin,
Irish Academic Press
Byrne, R. and McCutcheon, P. (2001)
The Irish Legal System, 4th Ed,
, Tottel
Programme(s) in which this Module is Offered:
BACHELOR OF ARTS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE
BACHELOR OF ARTS IN HISTORY, POLITICS, SOCIOLOGY AND SOCIAL STUDIES
BACHELOR OF ARTS IN JOURNALISM AND DIGITAL COMMUNICATION
BACHELOR OF LAWS (LAW PLUS)
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN PSYCHOLOGY
Semester(s) Module is Offered:
Module Leader:
Margaret.Fitzgerald-OReilly@ul.ie