Internment was never likely to succeed in Northern Ireland because it was a policy that was both unjust and ineffective. It was unjust because it allowed for the arbitrary arrest and detention of people without charge or trial. This violated the basic principles of human rights and the rule of law. It was also ineffective because it did not address the root causes of the conflict in Northern Ireland. It did not reduce the level of violence, but instead inflamed tensions and made it more difficult to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict.