The living victims of homicide: accommodating the needs and concerns of the co-victims of homicide within the Irish criminal justice system

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dc.contributor.advisorFennell, Caroline
dc.contributor.advisorKilcommins, Shane
dc.contributor.authorMcGrath, Anthony Williamen
dc.date.accessioned2026-11-03T11:12:18Z
dc.date.available2026-11-03T11:12:18Z
dc.date.issued2009-10-01en
dc.descriptionPlease note that the scan quality of this thesis may be reduced because the binding of the original hardcopy restricted full capture of the content.en
dc.description.abstractThe effects of homicide fan out from the loss of life at the centre of the criminal event to an array of individuals that include parents, siblings, spouses, offspring, significant others, extended family, and friends. Aside from dealing with the traumatic intrusion of homicide into their lives, these co-victims find themselves immersed in the unfamiliar world of criminal justice, confronted at every turn with a paucity of information and assistance, propelled through a series of transactions tightly harnessed to institutional procedures and agenda, where trials, sentencing, appeals, inquests, and parole hearings become part of a protracted journey strewn with impediments. Most report negative experiences, finding criminal justice a forum within which their individual needs are immaterial, their handling characterised at best by neglect and at times by insensitive or harsh treatment. This thesis illustrates how the overall impact of homicide on its co-victims is of such magnitude that they must properly be regarded as victims in their own right, and questions how the Irish criminal justice system can best accommodate their needs and concerns by assessing the reforms championed by Advocates for Victims of Homicide (AdVic), an organisation helmed by those bereft by homicide who, having experienced that system firsthand and found it to be lacking, are best positioned to identify and campaign for the interests of this particular set of victims. The reforms sought and examined include the lack Of general and case-specific information; the use Of victim impact statements; potential interaction procedures with the public prosecutor; the sentencing standards for murder and manslaughter and the long-term administration of those sentences; and the overall treatment of homicide co-victims by criminal justice professionals. This thesis also proffers a number of practical recommendations to help alleviate the nesvative impact the legal system has upon homicide co- victims.en
dc.description.statusNot peer revieweden
dc.description.versionAccepted Versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationMcGrath, A.W. (2009) 'The living victims of homicide: accommodating the needs and concerns of the co-victims of homicide within the Irish criminal justice system', PhD Thesis, University College Cork.en
dc.identifier.endpage370en
dc.identifier.startpage1en
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/19550
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherUniversity College Corken
dc.rights© 2009, Anthony William McGrath.en
dc.subjectHomicideen
dc.subjectCo-victimsen
dc.subjectIrelanden
dc.subjectCriminal justice systemen
dc.titleThe living victims of homicide: accommodating the needs and concerns of the co-victims of homicide within the Irish criminal justice systemen
dc.typeDoctoral thesisen
dc.type.qualificationlevelDoctoralen
dc.type.qualificationnamePhD - Doctor of Philosophyen
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