Day 5 - 3/12

Today we visited the criminal courts. We learned solicitors are the ones go to when they start their interactions with the legal system. Barristers take over and handle the law job similar to a trail lawyer in the United States. There are 5 jurisdictions in the criminal courts. Special criminal courts are decided by only 3 judges. The building the courts reside in now was built in 1988. This was an intentional build. The main purpose of the architectural design is so that judges, jurors, and barristers are not coming across each other before the trail. The sentencing is very different than America.

 Our guide mentioned that some believe that the sentence is too lenient. However he said the sentencing reflects the culture of Ireland. We were given an example of a man that was drinking and driving. He hit a pedestrian and paralyzed her. This man received a suspended sentence so no jail time. In the court the defendant can swear on their bible or than can make an affirmation. An affirmation is a legal promise to tell the truth to the court. The biggest issue the court is facing is GDP laws. We learned of you are recorded in public you have a right to compensation. In an instance where a man committed an assault on the street and a ring camera caught him he was owed money but the residents who camera captured the assault. It is also not allowed for phone companies to provide your mobile data that was stored. This is a breach of the GDP laws. The barristers wear black gowns steeped in tradition. These gowns are worn due to King Albert. There is a pocket at the top due to the coins barristers used to be paid with. The heavier the gown the better the barrister. Something completely different than the US was that before you get your sentence a quarter gets taken off.

This is due to considered good behavior. Another thing we learned was different was if the age of criminal responsibility is not reached the child can not be charged. For example a a student at the age of 11 stabbed to people in school and could not be charged due to his age. We learned that prior to the last 30 years Catholics could be shot is they entered Northern Ireland. The US played a part in the resolution. The Busch administration came to Ireland to help calm the storm. We also went to the Law Society. This was an interesting tour as we learned more about the task to become a solicitor. It takes many years of studies as well as our version of an internship. Our last stop of the day was the Guinness Storehouse. We learned how Guinness is made at walked through the process of making the handcrafted Guinness. We had a lot of fun today comparing our court system to Ireland as well seeing how a world renowned drinks was made.

- Maureen and Anthony