Lynn Ruane (Independent) | Oireachtas source

This issue is addressed in different ways throughout my amendments. I understand that the Judiciary acts with professionalism. Unconscious bias has a significant impact on the way we interpret laws and engage with the legal system. When this group of judges are looking at sentencing guidelines, will there be nobody else in the room? We need people with expertise, diversity and an understanding of the impact of sentencing on the lives of people, especially when there is unconscious bias. We understand direct bias in terms of race and gender, but unconscious bias can go much further than that. We will come to my amendment later in this debate. This is a concrete example of the issue I am seeking to address. It is proposed to fill a room with people who come from a certain social, cultural and economic background. I do not think it would be right for us to continue to look at introducing sentencing guidelines, and at how those guidelines will play out when they are implemented, without having a diversity of opinion in the room.