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Trust in An Garda Síochána

Trust in An Garda Síochána is comparatively high in Ireland. According to the OECD, 70% of Irish people reported trusting the Gardaí in 2023, which was higher than the OECD average of 63%. Trust in the Gardaí reduced by 5% between 2021 and 2023. An Garda Síochána’s 2023 public attitudes survey found that 89% of people trusted the Gardaí, down from 91% in 2021.

Traffic light indicator: Green

Trust in the Judiciary and Courts

Trust in the judiciary and courts is comparatively high in Ireland. OECD data show that 69% of the Irish population trusted the courts in 2023, which was above the OECD average of 54%. Eurobarometer Studies similarly found that the Irish population rated the independence of the judiciary and the courts between 71% and 74% from 2020 to 2025. This was above the equivalent EU average ranges of 52% to 56%.

Traffic light indicator: Green

Confidence in the Effectiveness of the Prison Service

The available data are insufficient to allow robust analysis of this indicator: there are no measures of public trust, no comparative data, and the most recent figures date from 2022. That year, a Department of Justice Criminal Justice Public Attitudes Survey (2022) found that 51% of respondents had confidence in the Irish Prison Service to provide safe and secure custody. The same survey reported that 34% of respondents were confident in the Irish Prison Service’s effectiveness in rehabilitating prisoners.

Traffic light indicator: White

Traffic light indicators explained

A key feature of the methodology employed in this paper is the traffic-light assessment tool. This is a simple visual tool to assess and communicate Ireland’s performance under each justice indicator. The assessment and analyses are based on empirical data that have been collated from over 100 reputable sources.

Exceptions to this model are made where a deviation is clearly positive or negative. For example, higher public trust in the Gardaí is considered a positive outcome, even if it deviates by more than 10% from the EU average.