Director of Public Prosecutions
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions was established by the Prosecution of Offences Act, 1974.
The Director is independent in the performance of his functions.
He enforces the criminal law in the courts on behalf of the people of Ireland; directs and supervises public prosecutions on indictment in the courts; and gives general direction and advice to the Garda Siochana in relation to summary cases and specific direction in such cases where requested.
The Chief Prosecution Solicitor provides a solicitor service, within the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, to act on behalf of the Director.
The Director and his staff do not give legal advice to members of the public. Those seeking such advice should consult their own adviser.
It is the experience of most families that the period of waiting for a trial to take place is extremely difficult. It is a period during which very little information is available, and particularly as the trial date approaches the need to get answers to questions becomes more urgent.
Usually, the senior Garda involved in your case will assist you by requesting a pre-trial meeting with the Prosecution Counsel. However, it is possible to make the request yourself directly to the Office of The Director of Public Prosecutions, or Chief State Solicitors office, contact details below. The request should be made about 4 weeks prior to the trial date.
In October 2008, The DPP announced a Policy on the Giving of Reasons for Decisions not to Prosecute
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions decided to pilot a policy change on the giving of reasons for decisions not to prosecute, confined only to alleged offences where a death has occurred, including murder and manslaughter.
The reasons for decisions not to prosecute, or to discontinue a prosecution, will be given on request in writing to members of the deceased’s family or household.
More details on this policy is available at:
http://www.dppireland.ie/victims_and_witnesses/reasons-for-decisions/
Families who have queries regarding the case can write for clarification to the following:
The Director can be contacted at:
Office of The Director of Public Prosecutions
Infirmary Road
Dublin 7
Phone: 01 8588500
Fax: 01 6427406
The Chief Prosecution Solicitor and the Solicitors Division of the DPP’s Office can be contacted at:
90 North King Street
Dublin 7
Tel: 01 6427406
Fax: 01 8588555
Website www.dppireland.ie
The victim section of this website may be helpful to families , especially information on the victim impact statement which can be found at :
www.dpp.ireland.ie/victims_and_witnesses/making-a-victim-impact-statement/