Irish Examiner view: Reform does not mean more judges

Domestic abuse victims find that the official response partly depends on where in Ireland they live

Calls for sweeping reform of the judicial system also resurface on a regular basis, but such an undertaking is so fraught with political danger that successive governments have been reluctant to grasp the nettle. Picture: iStock

Victims of domestic abuse must contend with a wide variety in waiting times when it comes to the courts hearing their safety applications, we learned yesterday.

The timeframes involved range from 14 weeks in Tullamore and 12 weeks in Carlow, Cavan, and Nenagh, down to four weeks in urban areas as large as Waterford and Limerick; the situation has seen the term ‘postcode lottery’ being aired again, and with good reason.

This is a depressing statistic given the levels of violence women and children are subjected to in such cases, and the Minister for Justice’s admission that more judges are needed is telling. 

That need applies here specifically, and in general to ensure improved access to the judicial system; it is also a tacit acknowledgement that the system as currently constituted is not fit for purpose.

Reform is not just a matter of appointing more judges, however. 

Last week there was an outcry when a 19-year-old Dubliner avoided jail despite his involvement in an assault on a woman and her partner in which the woman had boiling water poured over her.

The judge in that case felt it would be unjust to jail the 19-year-old. This made a mockery of Garda calls for victims of intimidation, as in this case, to come forward because the courts would deal with such cases. 

What hope of co-operation after that judge’s decision?

In another case earlier this week, a judge in Clare restored the driving licence of a man whose careless driving caused the death of a toddler in Clare six years ago, despite Garda objections.

The judge deferred the restoration temporarily after a plea from the toddler’s mother in court: the original date was close to what would have been her daughter’s 10th birthday.

Claiming that judges are out of touch is one of the most long-lived tropes in political commentary, but one reason it has such a depressingly long lineage is the absolute guarantee that there will always be examples to substantiate it.

Calls for sweeping reform of the judicial system also resurface on a regular basis, but such an undertaking is so fraught with political danger that successive governments have been reluctant to grasp the nettle. Sadly, until one of them does so we can expect more of the same.