As noted, punishments meted out by Brehon law depended on rank/status within the tuath of the victim. Jails, written contracts, and capital punishment were unknown, or at least, rare, penalties under Brehon law.

Enechlann, honor-price, was determined as to the person's (man or woman's) standing in the tuath. An offense against a person was considered to be an affront to their honor, and the penalty was calculated in terms of the seriousness of this affront. The crime of murder was serious enough that it was in a category of its own; the perpetrator had to pay the kin (regardless of the victim's rank in the tuath) the equivalent of seven cumals. This penalty was known as eraic. Bodily injuries were based on a percentage of this eraic.

As for the cumal - seven cumals, the highest penalty accessed, this equals seven female slaves, or the equivalent. Usually, the dues were not collected in slaves, although perhaps there was a time in prehistory when they were! This might equal three milking cows, or 6 dry heifers. It should be noted that the status of (non-slave) women in Celtic society was reasonably high for the period, and Brehon law allowed for divorce (something which today's Ireland only legalized in 1996!).