Sentencing Guidelines and Information Committee
Report - Section 40 Domestic Violence Act 2018
Sentencing in relation to offences captured by section 40 of the Domestic Violence Act 2018
16 May 2025Court of Appeal decisions at 12/2/2025
The Committee has made available a database of all Court of Appeal decisions up to the 12th February 2025, including a link to the relevant judgment.
18 February 2025Draft guideline s.40 Domestic Violence Act 2018
29 January 2025District Court Research - South East Technological University
The Committee contracted Dr Niamh Maguire to carry out research relating to sentencing in the District Court, and in particular in cases of Relationship Violence and Abuse. The SGIC is please to publish this research, which also identifies District Court Judges’ views on the sentencing process in the District Court.
11 December 2024Community Sanctions in Ireland
The Sentencing Guidelines and Information Committee (SGIC) of the Judicial Council has prepared a paper which outlines the various community-based sanctions which are available to judges, with particular reference to the District Court.
11 December 2024Publication of Sentencing Data Research Report
22 December 2022Guideline Sentencing Judgments
13 December 2022Research - University of Strathclyde
06 May 2022Sentencing Information for the General Public
10 January 2022Researchers - Join the Register of Researchers
18 November 2021The Functions
The functions of the Committee shall be to:
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prepare and submit to the Board for its review draft sentencing guidelines,
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prepare and submit to the Board for its review draft amendments to sentencing guidelines adopted by the Council,
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monitor the operation of sentencing guidelines,
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collate, in such manner as it considers appropriate, information on sentences imposed by the Courts, and
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disseminate that information from time to time to judges and persons other than judges.
In fulfilling the first of those functions, the Committee intends to draft guidelines for consideration by the Board and the Judicial Council sequentially. The first guidelines will deal with offences relating to domestic violence and dangerous driving causing death.
The Committee
The Committee is comprised of the following 13 members:
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Eight judges nominated by the Chief Justice, which includes one judge from each of the 5 jurisdictions
- Five lay members appointed by Government.
The members of the Committee are as follows:
- Ms Justice Iseult O'Malley (Chair)
- Mr Justice John Edwards
- Mr Justice Tony Hunt
- Mr Justice Paul Burns
- Judge Francis Comerford
- Judge Kenneth Connolly
- Judge Grainne Malone
- Judge Paula Murphy
- Mr Vivian Geiran
- Dr Diarmuid Griffin
- Mr Michael O'Sullivan
- Ms Marianne O'Kane
- Dr Sinéad Ring
The Judicial Council Act provides that the Judicial Council nominate a date for establishment of this Committee at its first meeting. The date was fixed by the Council as the 30th of June 2020 and the Committee held its first meeting on the 28th of July 2020.