High levels of remand or pre-trial detention (PTD) is a matter of growing concern in many countries, and at a European level. Despite being responsible for a significant part of the prison population, PTD practice is rarely the focus of criminological and criminal justice research. This book examines pre-trial detention practices and different ways of reducing its use across Europe. Offering a range of country-specific studies, this book also offers comparative studies of major issues across the continent. In particular, this book illustrates and examines how the actors (judges, public prosecutors, defence lawyers) work in pre-trial proceedings and make decisions; the common challenges in PTD decision-making; the factors which explain higher and lower rates of PTD across Europe; similarities and differences in practice; and the ways in which cross-border cases within the European influence policy and practice. Offering suggestions and recommendations for how to bring down the use of PTD in Europe, this book is essential reading for all those engaged with European penal research and practice.

Legal Cases that Changed Ireland examines key legal cases which have brought about significant social change in Ireland. The book is based on the 2015 project, entitled 'Changing Ireland, Changing Law, ' which involved a series of seminars under four themes exploring the relationship between legal action and social change. The four themes included: Women Changing Law, Changing Society; Sexual Identity, Law and Social Change; Immigration, Asylum and Legal Change; and Public Interest Litigation: Does it Work? Under each theme, a perspective is also provided by key non-governmental organizations that supported or initiated strategic legal cases, namely the Public Interest Law Alliance, the National Women's Council of Ireland, the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network, and the Immigrant Council of Ireland. While the changing nature of society is evident every day in our courtrooms, it is only in exceptional cases that we hear the stories behind moments of legal change. This book documents not only the stories of the legal cases themselves, but also the experiences of individuals who have taken cases of social importance. Recognizing that it is not only cases heard in the superior courts resulting in judgments pored over by constitutional lawyers than can shape people's lives in profound ways, this book also supports the sharing of experiences of cases in other legal venues, such as the Equality Tribunal. These stories assist us to understand more about the nature of legal processes. [Subject: Irish Law, Legal History