ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the responses of the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland to domestic abuse during 2020–2022. The Northern Ireland Assembly was restored in January 2020 after a three-year hiatus, and from March 2020 rates of domestic abuse in Northern Ireland began to rise significantly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The chapter includes detailed discussion of these increased levels of domestic abuse and examines the ways in which the criminal justice system responded. In addition, a specific offence of domestic abuse was introduced in Northern Ireland in March 2021 under section 1 of the Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act (Northern Ireland) 2021. The chapter includes detailed analysis of the implications of the 2021 Act for the response of the criminal justice system to domestic abuse. The chapter also discusses the introduction of domestic homicide reviews in Northern Ireland in December 2020; the passing of the Protection from Stalking Act (Northern Ireland) 2022; the introduction of an offence of non-fatal strangulation or asphyxiation under section 28 of the Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022; and the public consultation which were carried out by the Department of Justice on the creation of Domestic Abuse Protection Notices and Orders.
