Criminal Cases Review Commission
Encyclopedia
The Criminal Cases Review Commission is an non-departmental public body
set up following the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice
itself a continuation of the May Inquiry
. It aims to investigate possible miscarriages of justice
in England
, Wales
and Northern Ireland
. The Commission assesses whether convictions or sentences should be referred to a court of appeal.
Statistics as of 15th November 2011
Non-departmental public body
In the United Kingdom, a non-departmental public body —often referred to as a quango—is a classification applied by the Cabinet Office, Treasury, Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive to certain types of public bodies...
set up following the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice
Royal Commission on Criminal Justice
The Royal Commission on Criminal Justice, also known as the Runciman Commission, was established on 14 March 1991 by the Home Secretary. The Commission was the continuation of Sir John May's inquiry into the false convictions of the Maguire Seven and extension to other miscarriages of justice...
itself a continuation of the May Inquiry
Sir John May
Sir John May was a former Court of Appeal judge appointed by the British Government to investigate the miscarriages of justice related to the Maguire Seven and other miscarriages linked to IRA bombing offences...
. It aims to investigate possible miscarriages of justice
Miscarriage of justice
A miscarriage of justice primarily is the conviction and punishment of a person for a crime they did not commit. The term can also apply to errors in the other direction—"errors of impunity", and to civil cases. Most criminal justice systems have some means to overturn, or "quash", a wrongful...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. The Commission assesses whether convictions or sentences should be referred to a court of appeal.
Statistics as of 15th November 2011
- 13,966 total applications to the Commission
- 232 cases still open
- 452 actively being worked on
- 13,282 cases completed (including ineligible) with 395 referrals to the Court of AppealCourt of Appeal of England and WalesThe Court of Appeal of England and Wales is the second most senior court in the English legal system, with only the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom above it...
- 458 cases heard by the Court of Appeal (320 quashed, 134 upheld, 4 reserved)