Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.I have been practising criminal appeal work for more than 25 years. This is a Cinderella world, populated by a ragbag collection of committed but overworked, financially reckless lawyers, inexperienced but well-meaning students from university-based Innocence projects, journalists and single-issue campaigners.
If you suffer a wrongful conviction in this country your chances of persuading one or more of these to help take up your case from your prison cell is a daunting and often impossible task. Only a handful succeed. The Criminal Cases Review Commission is vital in rectifying miscarriages. but I regret that little or no effort is put into avoiding such errors in the first place. The cost to tax-payers of wrongful incarceration is great, and public confidence in the system is diminished with each case that comes to light.
In almost every area of public life when a system failure occurs, there is some strategy for learning lessons. Uniquely and incredibly the criminal justice system appears unwilling, unable or is not required to carry out the same exercise. Miscarriages must never involve simple assessments of profit or loss. Each and every case is a human tragedy.
Trying to explain to a victim or his family and friends that they face an almost impossible task in overturning a conviction is professionally the most difficult thing I have to do. We must do more to avoid errors of justice.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments