Criminal justice

Criminal Justice was one of the key areas raised by Sinn Féin in the negotiations with the British and Irish governments leading up to the publication of the Joint Declaration. The party argued that the new Act and accompanying Implementation Plan would not achieve the changes necessary in the criminal justice system.

The British government agreed to produce a new Implementation Plan and new legislation that would place a greater emphasis on All-Ireland cooperation, human rights, on achieving representativeness and on accountability.

These developments were hard won. But there still needs to be movement, particularly on the transfer of powers to a local Assembly, if we are to achieve a criminal justice system that is fair, representative, accountable and commands the confidence of the entire community.

Sinn Féin met with with the Justice Oversight Commissioner, Lord Clyde, on Monday to ensure that the required changes are put in place and that there is a clear timetable for implementing the new Criminal Justice Plan. The party will also continue to push for the further moves that are required.

Republicans will monitor implementation to ensure that there is progress on the Judicial Appointments Commission and the mechanisms that ensure its representativeness; action to address the issue of judicial representativeness; the duty on the DPP to refer all cases of PSNI misconduct to the Police Ombudsman; and the duty of all criminal justice agencies to have due regard of international and human rights standards.