Meeting the demands of modern criminal justice
Director of Public Prosecutions Catherine Pierse reflects on the developments, challenges, and priorities shaping the modern prosecution service.
As criminal investigations generate ever greater volumes of digital evidence and cross-border crime becomes more sophisticated, Ireland’s prosecution service must continually adapt and contribute to criminal justice system reform, while remaining anchored in its core principles.
The prosecution service occupies a distinct position within Ireland’s criminal justice system. Decisions made by prosecutors can have profound consequences for victims, accused persons, witnesses, and the wider public. Those decisions must be taken independently, guided only by the evidence, the law, and the public interest. While these principles remain unchanged, the environment in which prosecution services operate continues to evolve rapidly.
The increasing complexity of cases coming before the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) is one of the defining features of that change. Prosecutors now operate in a landscape characterised by vast quantities of digital evidence, sophisticated criminality, expanding disclosure obligations, and growing international dimensions to investigations.
The scale of activity illustrates these demands. The Office received almost 17,500 prosecution files in 2025. Of these, almost 12,000 files involving nearly 15,000 suspects related to serious offences requiring directions from specialist prosecutors. Central Criminal Court sitting dates reached 5,663, more than three times the level recorded six years earlier and 8 per cent higher than in 2024. Sitting dates outside Dublin also increased significantly, from 271 in 2019 to 867 in 2025.
The digital evidence era
Perhaps the most significant operational challenge facing prosecution services internationally is the growth of digital evidence. Investigations increasingly involve mobile phone downloads, CCTV footage, social media material, financial records, and other electronically stored information.
The ODPP received and reviewed approximately 15 terabytes of evidential material in 2025 alone; equivalent to around three billion PDF pages or three million high-resolution photographs. As the digital footprint of criminal activity expands, so too does the scale and complexity of the evidence that prosecutors must assess and present in court.
Disclosure has consequently become one of the most complex areas of prosecution practice. Prosecutors must ensure fair trial rights are fully respected while balancing privacy rights and the interests of victims. Recent Supreme Court decisions in WC and AM have reinforced the importance of continually reviewing disclosure practices in response to evolving legal standards.
The Office has undertaken significant policy, operational, and training work in this area, including revised guidance and extensive engagement with criminal justice partners.
Modernising behind the scenes
Technology presents opportunities as well as challenges. To meet growing digital demands within the criminal justice environment, the Office is progressing a major programme to replace its existing case management system with a modern, flexible platform capable of supporting the prosecution service into the future. This forms part of a broader strategy to strengthen digital capability, ensuring prosecutors have the necessary tools to support effective decision-making and efficient case progression.
When crime crosses borders
Many challenges facing prosecutors now extend beyond national borders. Organised crime networks, online offending, international financial transactions, electronic evidence, and the movement of suspects and witnesses increasingly span multiple jurisdictions. Effective prosecution therefore depends on strong international co-operation.
Ireland’s engagement through Eurojust (the EU agency for criminal justice co-operation) and other international networks plays a vital role in supporting this work. The ODPP continues to be involved in a wide range of international co-operation activities. These include mutual legal assistance requests, extradition, and engagement with emerging European legislative initiatives. As crime becomes more interconnected, our prosecution system must keep pace.
Improving the system together
The prosecution service also contributes to wider criminal justice policy and reform. The Office engages extensively with the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration and other stakeholders, helping to ensure legislative and procedural reforms are informed by practical prosecutorial experience.
This approach is reflected in initiatives including the Summary Prosecution Reform Steering Committee and the implementation of the multi-agency Juvenile Protocol, which seeks to reduce delays in the investigation and prosecution of the most serious offences involving children. Initiatives like these demonstrate how better outcomes can be achieved by working together.
Building public understanding
Public trust is central to the effective functioning of any prosecution service. While prosecutorial decisions must be made independently, it is also important that the public understands the role of the Office and the basis on which those decisions are made.”
Improving that understanding remains an important focus of the Office’s work.
This includes engagement with victims of crime who have statutory rights to seek reasons for decisions not to prosecute and to request reviews.
In 2025, the Office received 638 requests for reasons and 245 requests for reviews of decisions not to prosecute. The Office also continues to expand outreach with students, legal professionals, and the wider public.
Investing in people
None of this work would be possible without the commitment and professionalism of staff. The Office continues to invest in recruitment, training, specialist expertise, and leadership development to ensure its people are equipped to respond to an increasingly complex environment. Developing and retaining that expertise remains essential to maintaining a high-quality prosecution service.
Looking ahead
The prosecution landscape will continue to evolve as technological change, growing volumes of digital evidence, and emerging forms of criminality reshape criminal justice. Success will depend not only on adapting to change, but on anticipating it through sustained investment in expertise, innovation, and collaboration, ensuring that the prosecution service is prepared for emerging threats before they fully materialise.
The enduring responsibility of the Irish prosecution service remains clear: to deliver a fair, independent, and effective prosecution service on behalf of all the people of Ireland. In a rapidly changing environment, maintaining public confidence will depend on preserving those core principles while continuing to adapt to the demands of modern justice.
