This book focuses on the world's first publicly-funded body- the Criminal Cases Review Commission- to review alleged miscarriages of justice, set up following notorious cases such as the Birmingham Six in the UK. Providing a critique of its operations, the book shows that its help to innocent victims of wrongful conviction is merely incidental.

This book reveals what happens to applications for post-conviction review when those in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland who believe they are wrongfully convicted apply to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, the only body that can refer a case back to the Court of Appeal once appellants opportunities for direct appeal are exhausted. While the Court is obliged to hear all such referrals, the Commission can only refer a case where it believes there is a real possibility that the Court will quash the conviction. The first empirical study of all stages of decision-making within the Commission, this book starts from the premise that the test applied by the Commission (the real possibility test) is not inflexible. Though created by statute and refined through case law, it must be determined on a case-by-case basis, drawing too on cultural and structural variables, alongside fresh evidence gathered by the Commission. Through in-depth analysis of case files and interviews, Hoyle and Sato scrutinize the Commissions operational practices, its working rules and assumptions, considering how these influence its understanding of the real possibility test. Situating their rich empirical data within a framework of the Commissions social, organizational, and legal contexts, this book demonstrates that in its open-ended investigations there is considerable scope for discretion; for thorough exploration of all possible avenues or for choosing a more superficial consideration of a case. It emerges that while structured internal guidance, drawing heavily on Court jurisprudence, shapes decision-making, creating consistency in approach, there remains some variability across cases, over time, that can be accounted for by the different professional backgrounds and personalities of Commission staff.

The Innocent and the Criminal Justice System examines competing perspectives on, and definitions of, miscarriages of justice to tackle these questions and more in this critical sociological examination of innocence and wrongful conviction. This book: - Is the first book of its kind to cover wrong convictions, from definition and causation to the limits of redress - Provides a wealth of case studies and statistics to apply theoretical discussions of the criminal justice system to real-life situations - Discusses ideas and challenges that are highly relevant to current political and social debates Elegantly written by a leading expert in the field, this book is essential reading for students of criminology, criminal justice and law, looking to understand the workings of the criminal justice system and how it can fail the innocent.

On January 20, 1984, Earl Washington—defended for all of forty minutes by a lawyer who had never tried a death penalty case—was found guilty of rape and murder in the state of Virginia and sentenced to death. After nine years on death row, DNA testing cast doubt on his conviction and saved his life. However, he spent another eight years in prison before more sophisticated DNA technology proved his innocence and convicted the guilty man. DNA exonerations have shattered confidence in the criminal justice system by exposing how often we have convicted the innocent and let the guilty walk free. In this unsettling in-depth analysis, Brandon Garrett examines what went wrong in the cases of the first 250 wrongfully convicted people to be exonerated by DNA testing. Based on trial transcripts, Garrett’s investigation into the causes of wrongful convictions reveals larger patterns of incompetence, abuse, and error. Evidence corrupted by suggestive eyewitness procedures, coercive interrogations, unsound and unreliable forensics, shoddy investigative practices, cognitive bias, and poor lawyering illustrates the weaknesses built into our current criminal justice system. Garrett proposes practical reforms that rely more on documented, recorded, and audited evidence, and less on fallible human memory. Very few crimes committed in the United States involve biological evidence that can be tested using DNA. How many unjust convictions are there that we will never discover? Convicting the Innocent makes a powerful case for systemic reforms to improve the accuracy of all criminal cases.

With a Foreword by Sir Adrian Fulford, Vice President, Court of Appeal Criminal Division. Are you appealing from the Crown Court or the Court of Appeal? The Criminal Appeals Handbook, Second Edition is THE 'how to' guide to appealing from the Crown Court to the Court of Appeal and beyond, to assist those who seek to challenge a conviction or sentence imposed in the Crown Court. In short, concise chapters this book describes each stage of the appeals process and introduces the reader to the language, law and procedure of pursuing an appeal. It presents ways of investigating what may have gone wrong and what resources and funding is available through legal aid, in order to identify potential grounds of appeal. In addition it provides an overview of interlocutory appeals, responding to prosecution appeals and considering the position of defendants who suffer from mental disorders. It follows the process through to the conclusion of the case in the Court of Appeal, and beyond, covering appeal to the Supreme Court, the Criminal Case Review Commission, and international remedies through the ECtHR and UNHRC. The Second Edition is updated to take account of: The revised Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service Guide to the procedures that must be followed on appeal Amended statutes, Criminal Procedure Rules and Practice Directions in relation to appeals Recent substantive case law in relation to key appellate issues, including the duty of fresh representatives in conviction appeals to consult trial lawyers Important guidance given by the Court of Appeal on the meaning of 'substantial injustice' The court's approach to further information or evidence in sentence appeals and the role of the Court of Appeal in relation to Sentencing Guidelines An invaluable guide to an often-daunting area of criminal litigation for barristers, solicitor advocates and students of the topic. '...a truly useful insight to the otherwise, potentially daunting, web of Court of Appeal procedure... the Criminal Appeals Handbook is a hugely impressive work... I, for one, will not be making my way to the High Court from now on without a copy' Counsel (Review of the previous edition) Joel Bennathan QC, Doughty Street Chambers, has an established defence practice in serious and complex crime with a specialism in a broad range of appeals. He is listed as a band 1 QC by Chambers and Partners and the Legal 500. Rebecca Trowler QC, Doughty Street Chambers, is listed as a leading Band 1 silk in criminal law. She has extensive experience in the most serious, complex and highprofile criminal trials and appeals. Gregory Stewart is a director at GT Stewart where he is head of their specialist appeals team. They are a nationwide firm undertaking private and publicly funded appeals. They have acted in many notable appeal cases and are recommended ranked in both Chambers UK and the Legal 500.