Assisting the factually innocent: the contradictions and compatibility of Innocence Projects and the Criminal Cases Review Commission

Roberts, S. and Weathered, L. 2009. Assisting the factually innocent: the contradictions and compatibility of Innocence Projects and the Criminal Cases Review Commission. Oxford Journal of Legal Studies. 29 (1), pp. 43-70. https://doi.org/10.1093/ojls/gqn022

TitleAssisting the factually innocent: the contradictions and compatibility of Innocence Projects and the Criminal Cases Review Commission
AuthorsRoberts, S. and Weathered, L.
Abstract

The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) was the first publicly funded body created to investigate claims of wrongful conviction, with the power to refer cases to the Court of Appeal. In other countries, such as Australia, Canada and the United States, many regard the CCRC as the optimal solution to wrongful conviction and, for years, Innocence Projects in these countries have called for the establishment of a CCRC-style body in their own jurisdictions. However, it is now Innocence Projects which are being introduced in England and Wales to try to assist applicants who are innocent but convicted. This article reviews why the CCRC was created, discusses the role of factual innocence within this body and within the criminal justice system generally and explores why Innocence Projects are being created in England and Wales, despite the presence of the CCRC. It explains how these different organizations may work together to assist factually innocent people who have been wrongly convicted, and the role Innocence Projects may play generally in criminal justice reform and legal education.

KeywordsCriminal Cases Review Commission, wrongful conviction, Innocence Projects
JournalOxford Journal of Legal Studies
Journal citation29 (1), pp. 43-70
ISSN0143-6503
Year2009
PublisherOxford University Press
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1093/ojls/gqn022
Publication dates
Published2009

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