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Ireland

Prosecution in Ireland

The Director of Public Prosecutions — an independent statutory office that decides whether to prosecute, separate from both the police who investigate and the government.

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Prosecution in Ireland is led by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), an independent statutory office established under the Prosecution of Offences Act 1974. The DPP's principal duty is to direct and supervise the prosecution of criminal offences on indictment — the more serious cases — in the name of the People of Ireland.

The Director is, in the office's own words, "independent in the performance of her functions". For summary matters — the less serious offences — the DPP gives general directions to An Garda Síochána, and specific direction when it is requested; the Gardaí prosecute many summary cases within that framework.

The same idea, explained generally

  • What does a prosecutor do?

    A prosecutor decides whether a criminal case should be brought, on what charges, and presents it in court. This guide explains the tests applied, the duties owed, and how the role differs between systems.

  • Why do justice systems need oversight?

    Justice institutions hold coercive powers, often operate out of public view, and make decisions that are hard to reverse. This guide explains the oversight mechanisms built to detect and correct errors, and their limits.

Sources

Sources

  1. About Us — Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions

    Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Ireland) · Government publication · link verified 2026-07-25

    Read directly. Supports: that the Office of the DPP was established under the Prosecution of Offences Act 1974; that the Director is 'independent in the performance of her functions'; that the DPP's principal duty is to direct and supervise public prosecutions on indictment and to give general direction and advice to An Garda Síochána on summary cases; and the division of roles — An Garda Síochána investigates, the DPP decides whether to prosecute. Supports the statutory prosecution structure and the DPP's stated independence; it does not, by itself, establish how independence operates in any individual case.