Scottish influence on Ireland’s hate crime laws examined

The article, in the Edinburgh Law Review, focuses on the term “specific victim”, which appears in Ireland’s Criminal Justice (Hate Offences) Act 2024 but is not otherwise familiar in Irish law. 

The authors – Dr Luke Danagher, Professor Jennifer Schweppe and Professor Amanda Haynes – trace the term’s origins in Scots law, consider its purpose and operation across neighbouring jurisdictions, and examine what its adoption may mean for the interpretation and application of Ireland’s new hate offences framework. 

The piece highlights the significance of cross-jurisdictional borrowing in hate crime law reform and asks an important question for Irish courts, practitioners and policymakers: what, exactly, is a “specific victim”?