Judges would have to take classes on what is normal in society if Fine Gael were returned to government, the party announced today.
Fine Gael Justice spokesman Jim O'Keeffe
The main opposition outlined a raft of planned judicial reforms at a meeting in Sligo, expected to form a central plank of its crime and justice manifesto commitments.
Justice spokesman Jim O'Keeffe said a number of the measures could be introduced tomorrow, while other long-term aspirations included "proper judicial training programmes that ensure judges remain in touch with social norms when it comes to sentencing."
The party also wants to allow the state - the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) - to give its recommendation to the court on sentencing at the end of trials.
"It is ridiculous that the DPP has the right to appeal sentences on the grounds of leniency but yet gives no view on the appropriate sentence at the conclusion of the trial, when the judge is deciding on the sentence," said Mr O'Keeffe.
He vowed to slash a massive backlog in criminal cases by increasing the number of judges and introduce simple sentencing guidelines which would ensure multiple crimes were treated separately before the courts.
Under the plans, separate sentences would only be allowed to served at the same time where two or more offences are immediately connected.
The party also wants to see a comprehensive register of sentences set up to deter discrepancies in prison terms handed down by judges.
Furthermore, there would be clear guidelines on sentencing and judges would have to explain themselves in open court if they were not followed.
"While some problems will require a dedicated continuing investment of time and resources, many of the problems that exist in our criminal justice system could be solved tomorrow," said Mr O'Keeffe.
"What is required is simple political will to implement the straightforward measures that I have outlined," he said.