ABSTRACT
In 1972, with the violence unabated and the civilian death toll mounting, the United Kingdom government once again assumed responsibility for the province.38 The Northern Ireland Parliament was prorogued indefinitely and the powers of the Northern Ireland government transferred to a Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. A review of the Special Powers Act and internment was undertaken in 1972.39 Confirming the need for detention without trial as a short term measure for certain alleged offences, the Committee recommended the introduction of special courts which would sit without a jury: the ‘Diplock Courts’.40
