Authors: Dr Susan Leahy & Dr Margaret
Fitzgerald O'Reilly
ISBN: 978-1-905536-93-1 | Format: Paperback

Publication Date: March 2018

An accessible and comprehensive account of the relevant law in relation to sexual offending in Ireland.

About
The topic of sexual offending is a deeply complex and challenging one. In the past number of years, there has been a growing interest in sexual crime with a proliferation of cases provoking controversy surrounding sentencing and continuing questions about the adequacy of the current law.

Sexual Offending in Ireland: Laws, Procedures and Punishment offers an accessible and comprehensive account of the relevant law in relation to sexual offending in Ireland. It incorporates an examination of developments in domestic legislation and case law, detailing the substantive and evidentiary rules, as well as sentencing practice and supervision of sexual offenders.

Part 1 of the book provides a comprehensive account of the substantive law on sexual offences, covering the primary sexual offences against adult victims, as well as those relating to victims who are under the age of consent or who have limited decision-making capacity.

Part 2 looks at procedural issues surrounding trial and evidence. It incorporates a critical analysis of recent developments in evidence-related issues that have arisen in recent years. This part covers the special rules of evidence which apply in sexual offence trials, as well as describing the special procedures which may apply in sexual offence trials to protect victims from secondary victimisation. Part 3 provides a comprehensive examination of how those convicted of sexual offending are sentenced in the Irish courts, and explains the post-release orders and requirements a convicted sex offender may be subject to in the aftermath of imprisonment.

Sexual Offending in Ireland: Laws, Procedures and Punishment also discusses the recent reforms introduced under the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 and the Criminal Justice (Victims of Crime) Bill 2016, examining the implications these reforms will have upon the trial and punishment of sexual offences. It is a timely addition to commentary on the law in this unique area.

Who Should Buy This Book?
Sexual Offending in Ireland: Laws, Procedures and Punishment and will be an essential resource for all legal practitioners who specialise in criminal law and related areas of practice. Academics, students and persons working in this field will also find this work invaluable.

Content Includes

• INTRODUCTION
• Chapter 1: Sexual Offences in Context
• PART 1: THE SUBSTANTIVE LAW ON SEXUAL OFFENCES
• Chapter 2: Rape
• Chapter 3: Sexual Assault Offences against Adults
• Chapter 4: Capacity-Related Offences
• PART 2: THE RULES OF EVIDENCE IN SEXUAL OFFENCES
• Chapter 5: The Admissibility of Character Evidence in Sexual Offence Trials
• Chapter 6: Corroboration and the Doctrine of Recent Complaint
• Chapter 7: Special Procedures in Sexual Offence Trials
• PART 3: SENTENCING AND PUNISHMENT
• Chapter 7: Sentencing Sex Offenders
• Chapter 8: Post-Release Provisions

About the Editors

Dr Susan Leahy is a lecturer in the School of Law at the University of Limerick where she lectures in criminology, family law, media law and child law. Susan researches in the areas criminal justice and procedure, with particular focus on sexual offences law. She has published her research on sexual offences in national and international journals such as the Irish Criminal Law Journal, the Common Law World Review, the Criminal Law Review and the International Journal of Evidence and Proof.

Dr Margaret Fitzgerald O'Reilly is a lecturer in the School of Law, University of Limerick. She researches in the field of criminology and criminal justice, with particular focus upon the management of offenders in the aftermath of punishment and release. She has published her research in national and international journals including the Irish Journal of Criminal Law, the Howard Journal of Criminal Justice and the Judicial Studies Institute Journal. She is the author of Uses and Consequences of a Criminal Conviction: Going on the Record of an Offender
(Palgrave MacMillan, forthcoming 2017).