Legislation should be introduced to place people under house arrest in cases where bail would otherwise be refused, according to a report on the country's bail laws.
A garda who suspects that a person has breached their bail should be able to arrest them without a warrant, and the maximum penalty for this offence must be increased to five years, the report has recommended.
It has also called for more bail conditions which could require people to attend things like addiction counselling.
The report compiled by Lorcan Staines SC was commissioned by Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan following his apology to the family of the late Shane O'Farrell.
Mr O'Farrell was killed in August 2011 when he was struck by a car driven by a person who was on bail for a series of offences at the time.
The Co Monaghan cyclist was knocked off his bicycle and fatally injured by a driver who should have been in jail at the time.
Mr O’Callaghan said the report will greatly assist in considering how the justice system might better respond to offenders who persistently break laws.
The minister has now asked his officials to examine how the recommendations might be implemented.
Read more:
'Watershed': O'Farrell family's 13-year fight for State apology
Bail review ordered as Dáil hears O'Farrell apology
O'Farrell family calls Government apology a 'vindication'
The O'Farrell family tonight urged the Government to act swiftly on these recommendations to ensure bail laws are enforced, and public safety is protected.
"Failure to do so would expose citizens to life threatening risks, resulting in tragic outcomes, as was the case for Shane," they said.
The family noted the report's finding that the current system is "cumbersome, inefficient, inconsistent and haphazard" with poor information sharing between the Courts Service, An Garda Síochána, and other State agencies, resulting in weak oversight of bail compliance.
