Irish criminal law

The Republic of Ireland has no set criminal code. Instead, criminal law is set out in a diverse range of statutes and court decisions. Crime is investigated by the police force, the Garda Síochána. Serious offences are prosecuted by the Director of Public Prosecutions in the name of the People of Ireland, and are normally tried before a jury, although terrorist, and increasingly organised crime, trials are held in the juryless Special Criminal Court.

All judges in the Republic are full-time and appointed from legally qualified and experienced solicitors and barristers. The Republic has neither lay magistrates nor elected judges.