Criminal prosecutions - DPP must be more transparent

It is a fundamental tenet of our justice system that justice should both be done and seen to be done.

Unfortunately, for the families of some victims, this is very often seen not to be the case. The current policy of silence attaching to decisions not to initiate, or pursue, a criminal prosecution inevitably leads to the conclusion that justice has been vacated.

In one case where a family sought justice for the death of their son following a nightclub fracas, for which nobody has been prosecuted, they believe they were abandoned by the system, a belief that drove the grieving father to go on hunger strike outside the Dáil.