THE organisation that independently investigates potential miscarriages of justice in England, Wales and Northern Ireland has handled an almost 20% rise in applications in the last year.
- The Criminal Cases Review Commission have seen an 18.9% rise in applications (1,198 to 1,424)
- Significant rise in applications from usually under-represented groups, including women
- 25 cases were referred by the CCRC last year, including six people convicted of murder
The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) received 1,424 applications between April 1 2022 and March 31 2023 from people wanting their conviction or sentence to be reviewed - an increase of 226 cases from last year, its Annual Report and Accounts revealed yesterday (Tuesday, July 18).
The Annual Report shows that even though the body completed 7.8% more reviews than in the previous year (1,183 to 1,275), the backlog of cases still under review at the end of the financial year grew significantly from 605 to 718.
In the last year, 25 cases were referred back to the courts - including six people with independent murder convictions - and 17 convictions or sentences were overturned following CCRC referrals. The referral rate was consistent with the historical average of around 2% of all applications.
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