Attitudes to the Criminal Justice System in Northern Ireland

Author(s): Kristine Amelin, Michael Willis and Debbie Donnelly
Commissioned by: Criminal Justice Review Group
Document Type: Report
Year: 2000
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Place of Publication: London
ISBN: 0 33 703109 6
Subject Area(s): Crime and Criminal Justice

Abbreviations: CJS - Criminal Justice System

Research Approach

  • Attitudes to crime, crime reduction and community safety in Northern Ireland were investigated using a social survey approach, combining findings from three Omnibus surveys (November 1998 and February and May 1999), supplemented by available data from the Community Attitudes Survey 6th Report 1999 and the Northern Ireland Crime Survey. Each survey was conducted throughout Northern Ireland using a probability sample drawn from the Valuation and Lands Agency list of private addresses.Research Approach here

Main Findings

The Criminal Justice System in Northern Ireland

  • The vast majority of those surveyed (90%) agreed that the CJS needed to be responsible to the public. Complaint systems, independent published inspections and community liaison groups were the most frequently mentioned methods for achieving accountability.

  • There is a relatively high level of confidence in the CJS in general but Catholics tend to express less confidence than Protestants.

The Courts in Northern Ireland

  • Those surveyed said that court visits (83%) and support facilities for witnesses (94%) would be useful in reducing the stress of a court appearance as a witness.

  • Fear of intimidation/retaliation was the major concern of both those prepared to give evidence (96%) and those not prepared to give evidence (88%).

The Judiciary in Northern Ireland

  • Most people though that the judiciary 'were out of touch' with what ordinary people think.

  • More than half of those questioned (56%) thought that the judiciary should be appointed from lawyers with long experience, while one in three thought that they should start to train to become judges earlier in their careers.

  • 77% of people thought that juries (after direction from a judge) are best for deciding questions of guilt in the Crown Court.

  • In the case of the magistrates' courts, the most popular option (42%) for deciding cases was legally trained resident magistrates and lay magistrates sitting together.

The Prosecution Process in Northern Ireland

  • The police (39%) and an independent prosecutor (41%) enjoyed roughly equal levels of support when those surveyed were asked who should decide whether someone should be prosecuted in less serious criminal cases.

  • Just about one in three (34%) questioned knew that police officers act as prosecutors in cases in magistrates' courts, and almost two in three (61%) thought it appropriate for both police and lawyers to fulfil this role.

Other Criminal Justice Agencies in Northern Ireland

  • Approximately half (49%) of those surveyed stated that the police were 'in touch' with what ordinary people thought. The corresponding figure for the probation services was 38%.

  • Less than one in five of those questioned (16%) had ever been inside a prison for any reason at all.

  • Three out of ten people (75%) agreed that in prison, offenders receive training for jobs. A similar proportion though that offenders learn new ways to commit crime whilst in prison (73%). Almost half thought that being put in prison punishes offenders (47%) and slightly fewer (43%) believe that offenders are helped to become law-abiding citizens whilst in prison.
 

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