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Ireland Has Created Its First Public Register Of Domestic Violence Offenders

The register can cover convictions such as murder, rape, sexual assault, coercive control, stalking, nonfatal strangulation and threats to kill.

Cherry Mohamed Cici Xiao

Cherry Mohamed, Ikran Dahir, Cici Xiao

— 4 min read
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ireland first public register domestic violence offenders jennies law

Ireland has passed Jennie’s Law, creating its first public register of judgments against people convicted of serious domestic violence offenses. 

ireland first public register domestic violence offenders jennies law
Activists of the "Declic" movement for women's rights hold printed half face pictures showing victims of domestic violence. (Photo by DANIEL MIHAILESCU/AFP via Getty Images)

The law is named after Jennifer “Jennie” Poole, a 24-year-old mother of two who was murdered by her former partner Gavin Murphy in Finglas, Dublin, on April 17, 2021.

Poole and her family did not know Murphy had a history of violence.

Poole believed Murphy had returned from Spain when he had actually been in prison, for attacking a former partner and her mother with a knife, according to Irish public broadcaster RTÉ.

Murphy pleaded guilty to murder and received a mandatory life sentence in April 2022.

Her brother Jason Poole spent years campaigning for a system giving people access to information about a partner’s serious domestic violence convictions.

ireland first public register domestic violence offenders jennies law
Red shoes are placed to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. (Photo by Sebastian Gollnow/picture alliance via Getty Images)

That campaign led to the Domestic Violence Judgements Register Bill 2026, or Jennie’s law. 

Under Jennie’s Law, Ireland’s Courts Service will publish selected judgments online involving serious offenses committed against a current or former partner.

The register can cover convictions such as murder, rape, sexual assault, coercive control, stalking, nonfatal strangulation and threats to kill, according to Ireland’s Department of Justice.

ireland first public register domestic violence offenders jennies law
 A girl puts flowers at an installation of women's red shoes displayed on staircase, as a symbol to denounce violence against women. (Photo by GENT SHKULLAKU/AFP via Getty Images)

A judge will decide whether a judgment should be published, while the survivor’s consent will normally be required. 

ireland first public register domestic violence offenders jennies law
Photo by Niall Carson/PA Images via Getty Images

Entries may include the convicted person’s name, age, offense and sentence.

ireland first public register domestic violence offenders jennies law
Photo by DANIEL MIHAILESCU/AFP via Getty Images

The Dáil, the Irish parliament's lower house, passed the bill on Wednesday, July 15, and Ireland's president, Catherine Connolly, officially signed it into law on July 21. 

ireland first public register domestic violence offenders jennies law
Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The register is intended to help people make informed safety decisions, although Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan said it is only one part of Ireland’s response to domestic violence.

ireland first public register domestic violence offenders jennies law
Red shoes set up on the ground for the victims during a protest to condemn violence against women. (Photo by KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP via Getty Images)

The register has not yet launched because the justice minister must set a start date.

ireland first public register domestic violence offenders jennies law
Red-painted shoes symbolize all the women victims of domestic violence, harassment, rape, sexual assault or feminicide. (Photo by DAMIEN MEYER/AFP via Getty Images)

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