Victims of crime deserve fairer sentences for crime committed against them – McCormack
The Judicial Council Bill containing Sinn Féin proposals on Sentencing Guidelines passed through the Dáil last week, speaking on the bill, Ciara McCormack said:
“Sinn Féin have been working on their contribution towards this Bill for a long time.
“These will offer much needed changes to reform sentencing in the state.
“If implemented as envisaged, the Sentencing Guidelines will create a more just and equitable system for victims of crime as a result of more consistent and fairer sentencing.
“Where judges depart from those Guidelines, they will have to account for it.
“Unfortunately, we have seen many sentences delivered that were too often inconsistent and inappropriate.
“As a result, sexual violence organisations such as the Rape Crisis Network have been calling for Sentencing Guidelines for many years.
“Sinn Féin’s proposals hope to remedy this situation as best as it can.
“The public deserves to know that offenders will receive a sentence that fits the crime and that they can have faith in the institutions to deliver justice.”