What happens to prisoners and suspects during the vacation period?

later12

Since regular court hearings have been adjourned until after the Summer vacation, I was just wondering what now happens to suspects who have to be detained - not always for serious crimes like murder, but for run of the mill bench warrants and the like?

Do they have to remain locked up for a month, or what happens in this case?

Do prison numbers also swell during these months?

I presume there is no public data on prison numbers outside of the inspector's or visiting committees' reports?

Mr Jinx

Business as usual in Dublin anyway, court on monday to saturday, for custody cases only

PCPhoto

district court is not on vacation ...only high court, civil, central, supreme, circuit criminal....childrens court and district court still go ahead

those accused of criminal acts are brought before the district court - where they are usually charged/served with book of evidence etc etc ....then either remanded in custody/ on bail to appear again before next sitting of District/Circuit Criminal/Central Criminal Court.

Milk & Honey

later10 wrote: »

suspects who have to be detained - not always for serious crimes like murder, but for run of the mill bench warrants and the like?

Suspects have to be released after defined periods if they are not charged. If charged, a suspect can be given station bail or else brought before the next District Court sitting in the District. There are enough judges on duty to deal with this situation.

MagicSean

PCPhoto wrote: »

district court is not on vacation ...only high court, civil, central, supreme, circuit criminal....childrens court and district court still go ahead

those accused of criminal acts are brought before the district court - where they are usually charged/served with book of evidence etc etc ....then either remanded in custody/ on bail to appear again before next sitting of District/Circuit Criminal/Central Criminal Court.

District courts in the country are on vacation and sit once a week for urgent matters only.

source

If a person is brought in on a bench warrant, they go to the nearest district court sitting which could be quite a distance away. I remember last year going from Limerick to Listowel with prisoners for bench warrants.

PCPhoto

Seanbeag1 wrote: »

District courts in the country are on vacation and sit once a week for urgent matters only.

apologies - I stand corrected.

dermot_sheehan

PCPhoto wrote: »

Seanbeag1 wrote: »

District courts in the country are on vacation and sit once a week for urgent matters only.

apologies - I stand corrected.

There is also a High Court vacation sittings approximatly every two weeks which can deal with High Court bail applications (persons remanded for murder, rape, for extradition or appeals from refusals of the District Court to grant bail).

A High Court duty judge is available every day who can deal with Article 40 enquiries.

Victor

source wrote: »

If a person is brought in on a bench warrant, they go to the nearest district court sitting which could be quite a distance away. I remember last year going from Limerick to Listowel with prisoners for bench warrants.

So, if Joe Bloggs was detected speeding, summons served, doesn't show up in court and a bench warrant is issued and executed, what happens to Joe. Joe's solicitor asks for a defferal so that witnesses can be called. What happens Joe?

MagicSean

Victor wrote: »

So, if Joe Bloggs was detected speeding, summons served, doesn't show up in court and a bench warrant is issued and executed, what happens to Joe. Joe's solicitor asks for a defferal so that witnesses can be called. What happens Joe?

Joes case is put back to a date after the courts return.

Our man in Havana

Joe would most likely be released on bail also.

Reloc8

They get taking to the beach, pony-trekking, for ice-creams and stuff. Have you not heard its a feckin holiday camp in there.

Carawaystick

Why do the courts have holidays?
How many days holidays do judges get? Is it much more than 20?

Surely they could arrange to stagger them over the year like any business does

J K

Joe is Innocent.

MagicSean

Carawaystick wrote: »

Why do the courts have holidays?
How many days holidays do judges get? Is it much more than 20?

Surely they could arrange to stagger them over the year like any business does

The month of august

valleyoftheunos

Carawaystick wrote: »

Why do the courts have holidays?
How many days holidays do judges get? Is it much more than 20?

Surely they could arrange to stagger them over the year like any business does

Firstly the courts service isn't a business at all and if it were, it wouldn't be like any other one.

The answer to your initial question is that its all traditional. By and large (although increasingly less and less) the entire legal profession goes on holidays for the month of August, and has done for about 400 years:p. Connemara, Co Kerry and west Cork are all awash with Solicitors, Barristers and their families and anything that isn't of utmost urgency is scheduled for September. As stated above, the District court carries on and anything urgent can be dealt with by the on duty High Court Judge.

Basically no one wants to go on their holidays in February or March so its easier for everyone to take off at the same time and just shut up shop, a bit like the schools. Obviously the day to day stuff such as conveyancing caries on, Solicitors only get regular holidays and Barristers are all self employed so they only get paid when they are working but July and August are usually slow periods for everyone.

Victor

It is useful for them most to go on holidays at the same time as it means that most will be available when the courts resume. Otherwise you would have conflicts with "oh we can't have that date, I'm on holidays".

Builders used to take the first two weeks of August as 'official' holidays, but moved this to July as they could get cheaper holidays.