Criminal Law Act, 1976
What is this act about?
This law, the Criminal Law Act, 1976, amends existing criminal law, primarily by increasing penalties for certain offenses under the Offences against the State Act, 1939, and introducing new powers for law enforcement. It aims to strengthen measures against unlawful organizations and related criminal activities.
Who it applies to: Individuals involved with or inciting others to join unlawful organizations; Persons arrested under certain provisions of the Offences against the State Act, 1939, or the Emergency Powers Act, 1976.
Deadlines:
- Maximum penalties for certain offenses under the Act of 1939 are increased to imprisonment for up to 20 years.
- Recruiting or inciting someone to join an unlawful organization carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment.
- Obstructing a search warrant or providing false information carries a fine not exceeding £500 or imprisonment for up to 12 months on summary conviction, or up to 5 years on indictment.
At a glance
- Country
- Ireland
- Area of law
- Criminal law
- Articles
- 16
- Source
- irishstatutebook.ie
- Text retrieved
- Explanation updated
What does this act regulate?
- Penalties for specific offenses under the Offences against the State Act, 1939.
- Incitement or invitation to join or support unlawful organizations.
- Powers of the Garda Síochána (police) and Defence Forces regarding search warrants, arrested persons, and vehicle searches.
- Offenses related to escaping from custody and conveying articles into or out of prisons.
Who does this act apply to?
- Individuals involved with or inciting others to join unlawful organizations.
- Persons arrested under certain provisions of the Offences against the State Act, 1939, or the Emergency Powers Act, 1976.
- Members of the Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces in the exercise of their duties.
What are the key points?
- Maximum penalties for certain offenses under the Act of 1939 are increased to imprisonment for up to 20 years.
- Recruiting or inciting someone to join an unlawful organization carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment.
- Search warrants can be issued by a Garda Síochána superintendent for evidence related to offenses under the Act of 1939 or the Criminal Law Act, 1976, or treason.
- Obstructing a search warrant or providing false information carries a fine not exceeding £500 or imprisonment for up to 12 months on summary conviction, or up to 5 years on indictment.
Criminal law
Legal text
Legal text
Criminal Law Act, 1976 Skip to content Disclaimer Feedback Helpdesk Gaeilge Léim go dtí an t-ábhar Séanadh Aiseolas Deasc chabhrach English Gaeilge English Produced by the Office of the Attorney General Táirgthe ag Oifig an Ard-Aighne Home Legislation Acts of the Oireachtas Statutory Instruments Pre-1922 Legislation Constitution External Resources Bills (Houses of the Oireachtas) Iris Oifigiúil / Official Gazette Revised Acts (LRC) Classified List of Legislation (LRC) Translations (acts.ie) Translations (Houses of the Oireachtas) Government Publications for Sale EU Law (EUR-Lex) FAQ Disclaimer Feedback Helpdesk Search Baile Reachtaíocht Achtanna an Oireachtais Ionstraimí Reachtúla Reachtaíocht Réamh-1922 Bunreacht Acmhainní Seachtracha Billí (Tithe an Oireachtais) Iris Oifigiúil Achtanna Athbhreithnithe (CAD) (An Coimisiún um Athchóiriú an Dlí) Liosta Rangaithe Reachtaíochta Aistriúcháin (achtanna.ie) Aistriúcháin (Tithe an Oireachtais) Foilseacháin Rialtais ar Díol Dlí AE (EUR-Lex) CCanna (Ceisteanna Coitianta) Séanadh Aiseolas Deasc chabhrach Cuardach TitleTeideal Year(s) or rangeBliain nó blianta nó raon TypeCineál All Legislation Acts Statutory Instruments Advanced SearchCuardach Casta HomeBaile ActsAchtanna 1976 Criminal Law Act, 1976 Criminal Law Act, 1976 Permanent Page URL View by SectionAmharc de réir Ailt View Full ActAmharc ar an Acht Iomlán Bill History Stair Bille Commencement, Amendments, SIs made under the Act Tosach Feidhme, Leasuithe, IRí arna ndéanamh faoin Acht Print Full ActPriontáil an tAcht Iomlán Number 32 of 1976 CRIMINAL LAW ACT, 1976 ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS Section
Section 1
Definitions.
Section 2
Penalties for certain offences under Act of 1939.
Section 3
Incitement or invitation to join etc. an unlawful organisation.
Section 4
Amendment of section 25 of Act of 1939.
Section 5
Search warrants relating to commission of offences under Act of 1939 etc.
Section 6
Escape from custody.
Section 7
Power of Garda Síochána in relation to certain arrested persons.
Section 8
Power of Garda Síochána to search vehicles and persons in vehicles.
Section 9
Power to retain articles seized.
Section 10
Prohibition of possession of photographs etc. of certain buildings.
Section 11
Certain offences to be felonies.
Section 12
Prohibition of giving certain false information.
Section 13
Offence committed while serving sentence.
Section 14
Restriction of meaning of “document” in sections 13 and 14 of Act of 1939.
Section 15
Power of Defence Forces to arrest and search in certain circumstances.
Section 16
Short title and application.
Acts Referred to State Act, 1939 1939, No. 13 Defence Act, 1954 1954, No. 18 Prisons Act, 1970 1970, No. 11.
Prisons Act, 1972 1972, No. 7.
Explosive Substances Act, 1883 1883, c. 3.
Criminal Law (Jurisdiction) Act, 1976 1976, No. 14.
Person Act, 1861 1861, c. 100.
Larceny Act, 1916 1916, c. 50.
Air Navigation and Transport Act, 1973 1973, No. 29.
Police (Property) Act, 1897 1897, c. 30.
Criminal Justice Act, 1951 1951, No. 2.
Number 32 of 1976 CRIMINAL LAW ACT, 1976 AN ACT TO AMEND THE CRIMINAL LAW. [24th September, 1976] BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS:
Definitions.
1.—In this Act— “the Act of 1939” means the Offences against the State Act, 1939 ; “the Defence Forces” means the Permanent Defence Force within the meaning of the Defence Act, 1954 ; “prison” includes Saint Patrick's Institution, any place provided under section 2 of the Prisons Act, 1970 , any place in which persons are kept in military custody pursuant to section 2 of the Prisons Act, 1972 , or any place specified to be used as a prison under section 3 of that Act, and “governor” and “prison officer” shall be construed accordingly; “unlawful organisation” means an organisation which is an unlawful organisation within the meaning and for the purposes of the Act of 1939.
Penalties for certain offences under Act of 1939.
2.—(1) The maximum penalty for a felony under section 6 of the Act of 1939 shall be imprisonment for 20 years and, accordingly, section 6 (1) of that Act is hereby amended by the substitution of “to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 20 years” for “to suffer penal servitude for a term not exceeding ten years or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years”.
Incitement or invitation to join etc. an unlawful organisation.
3.—Any person who recruits another person for an unlawful organisation or who incites or invites another person (or other persons generally) to join an unlawful organisation or to take part in, support or assist its activities shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years.
Amendment of section 25 of Act of 1939.
4.—Section 25 of the Act of 1939 is hereby amended— (a) by the substitution of “12 months” for “three months” in subsections (1) and (2), and (b) by the addition of the following subsection: “(6) Whenever a closing order has been extended, a member of the Garda Síochána not below the rank of chief superintendent may extend the operation of such closing order for a further period or periods each of which shall not exceed 12 months, but a closing order shall not be in operation for more than three years.”.
Search warrants relating to commission of offences under Act of 1939 etc.
5.—The following section is hereby substituted for section 29 of the Act of 1939 : “29.—(1) Where a member of the Garda Síochána not below the rank of superintendent is satisfied that there is reasonable ground for believing that evidence of or relating to the commission or intended commission of an offence under this Act or the Criminal Law Act, 1976, or an offence which is for the time being a scheduled offence for the purposes of Part V of this Act, or evidence relating to the commission or intended commission of treason, is to be found in any building or part of a building or in any vehicle, vessel, aircraft or hovercraft or in any other place whatsoever, he may issue to a member of the Garda Síochána not below the rank of sergeant a search warrant under this section in relation to such place.
Escape from custody.
6.—(1) Any person who— (a) aids any person in escaping or attempting to escape from lawful custody or, with intent to facilitate the escape of any person from lawful custody or enable a person after escape to remain unlawfully at large, or with intent to cause injury to persons or property in a place where a person is in lawful custody, conveys any article or thing into or out of such a place or to a person in such a place or places any article or thing inside or outside such a place, or (b) makes, or takes part in, any arrangement for the purpose of enabling a person to escape from lawful custody, facilitating such an escape, enabling a person after escape to remain unlawfully at large, or causing injury to persons or property in a place where a person is in lawful custody, shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years.
Power of Garda Síochána in relation to certain arrested persons.
7.—(1) Where a person is in custody under the provisions of section 30 of the Act of 1939 or section 2 of the Emergency Powers Act, 1976, a member of the Garda Síochána may do all or any of the following in respect of him : (a) demand of him his name and address; (b) search him or cause him to be searched; (c) photograph him or cause him to be photographed; (d) take, or cause to be taken, his fingerprints and palm prints; (e) make or cause to be made any test designed for the purpose of ascertaining whether he has been in contact with any firearm (within the meaning of the Firearms Acts, 1925 to 1971) or with any explosive substance (within the meaning of the Explosive Substances Act, 1883 ) and for that purpose take swabs from his skin or samples of his hair; (f) seize and retain for testing anything that he has in his possession.
Power of Garda Síochána to search vehicles and persons in vehicles.
8.—(1) This section applies to: (a) an offence under the Act of 1939 or an offence that is for the time being a scheduled offence for the purposes of Part V of that Act; (b) an offence under section 2 or 3 of the Criminal Law (Jurisdiction) Act, 1976 ; (c) murder, manslaughter or an offence under section 18 of the Offences against the Person Act, 1861; (d) an offence under section 23 , 23A or 23B of the Larceny Act, 1916 ; (e) an offence of malicious damage to property involving the use of fire or of any explosive substance (within the meaning of section 7
Power to retain articles seized.
9.—(1) Where in the course of exercising any powers under this Act or in the course of a search carried out under any other power, a member of the Garda Síochána, a prison officer or a member of the Defence Forces finds or comes into possession of anything which he believes to be evidence of any offence or suspected offence, it may be seized and retained for use as evidence in any criminal proceedings, or in any proceedings in relation to a breach of prison discipline, for such period from the date of seizure as is reasonable or, if proceedings are commenced in which the thing so seized is required for use in evidence, until the conclusion of the proceedings, and thereafter the Police (Property) Act, 1897 , shall apply to the thing so seized in the same manner as that Act applies to property which has come into the possession of the Garda Síochána in the circumstances mentioned in that Act.
Prohibition of possession of photographs etc. of certain buildings.
10.—(1) A person in lawful custody in any prison, Garda station or courthouse shall not have in his possession any photograph, film, illustration, drawing, sketch, map, plan or other representation of or note concerning any part of the interior or exterior of any prison, Garda station or courthouse without the permission of the governor (if he is in a prison), of the member of the Garda Síochána in charge (if he is in a Garda station) or of the court before which the person in question is appearing or is to appear (if he is in a courthouse), and any such person who has any such representation or note in his possession without that permission shall, unless he has it in his possession when taken into custody and discloses that fact on being informed that possession of any such representation or note without permission is forbidden, be guilty of an offence.
Certain offences to be felonies.
11.—(1) The offences of kidnapping and false imprisonment and an offence under section 10 of the Criminal Law (Jurisdiction) Act, 1976 , shall be felonies.
Prohibition of giving certain false information.
12.—Any person who— (a) knowingly makes a false report or statement tending to show that an offence has been committed, whether by himself or another person, or tending to give rise to apprehension for the safety of persons or property, or (b) knowingly makes a false report or statement tending to show that he has information material to any inquiries by the Garda Síochána and thereby causes the time of the Garda Síochána to be wastefully employed, shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable— (i) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding £500 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months, or to both, or (ii) on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years.
Offence committed while serving sentence.
13.—(1) Any sentence of penal servitude or imprisonment or of detention in Saint Patrick's Institution passed on a person for an offence committed while he is serving any such sentence shall be consecutive on the sentence that he is serving or, if he is serving or is due to serve more than one sentence, on the sentence last due to expire, so however that, where two or more consecutive sentences as required by this section are passed by the District Court, the aggregate term of imprisonment or detention in respect of those consecutive sentences shall not exceed twelve months.
Restriction of meaning of “document” in sections 13 and 14 of Act of 1939.
14.—In sections 13 and 14 of the Act of 1939, “document” does not include any of the things specified in the amendment of the definition of “document” made by section 5 of the Offences against the State (Amendment) Act, 1972.
Power of Defence Forces to arrest and search in certain circumstances.
15.—(1) The powers conferred by subsections (3) and (4) of this section may be exercised only in accordance with subsection (2) of this section.
Short title and application.
16.—(1) This Act may be cited as the Criminal Law Act, 1976.
Privacy Statement Accessibility European Legislation Identifier (PDF) Open Data License Ráiteas Príobháideachais Inrochtaineacht Aitheantóir Eorpach Reachtaíochta (ELI) Ceadúnas Sonraí Oscailte Liosta Fianán © Government of Ireland. Oireachtas Copyright Material is reproduced with the permission of the Houses of the Oireachtas © Rialtas na hÉireann. Atáirgtear ábhar faoi Chóipcheart le cead ó Thithe an Oireachtais