Innocence Network UK
"Educating to overturn and prevent the wrongful conviction of innocent people."
The Innocence Network UK (INUK) is the co-ordinating organisation for member Innocence Projects based in UK universities.
The INUK has three core aims :
Educate:
to encourage and support the creation and subsequent running of member innocence projects in UK universities.
Research:
to conduct and facilitate research into, among other related things:
i) the causes of the wrongful conviction of the innocent;
ii) the barriers to attempts to overturn these convictions in the Court of Appeal or by application to the CCRC; and
iii) the associated harmful consequences of wrongful conviction on victims, their families, friends and society as a whole.
Communicate:
to inform public debates about the wrongful conviction and imprisonment of innocent people, the INUK will communicate findings from the activities of member innocence projects and research, with the objective of improving the criminal justice system and preventing future wrongful convictions.
What is the INUK?
Why do we need the INUK?
How does the INUK support member innocence projects?
INUK's Culture
What is the INUK?
The INUK was launched in September 2004 because the problem of the wrongful conviction of innocent people was not sufficiently resolved by the creation of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), the body set up in the wake of notorious cases such as the Guildford 4 and the Birmingham 6 to investigate alleged cases of miscarriage of justice.
The INUK is a university-based initiative, which draws collaborative support from all parts of the miscarriages of justice jigsaw - academics, criminal appeal lawyers, victim support groups and campaigning organisations, forensic scientists and investigative journalists.
The INUK works towards, ‘Educating to overturn and prevent the wrongful conviction of innocent people’, with our core being EDUCATION as a means of endeavouring to influence practical changes to the criminal justice system in this pressing area of public concern.
Importantly, the INUK is NOT a campaign or victim support group.
Why do we need the INUK?
1. PROBLEMS WITH THE SYSTEM:
Despite the creation of the CCRC, the problem of the wrongful conviction and/or imprisonment of innocent people is a continuing feature of criminal justice in England and Wales. Put simply, innocent people are still being convicted and find it difficult, sometimes impossible, to have their cases referred back to the Court of Appeal.
2. VICTIMS:
The wrongful conviction of innocent people inevitably results in serious financial and emotional damage far beyond harm to the prisoner only. It extends to family, friends and society itself, because the real perpetrator is still at large and justice has not been done.
3. PROGRESSING PRISONERS MAINTAINING INNOCENCE:
Life sentenced prisoners maintaining innocence are, generally, unable to progress through the prison system, with a view to consideration for parole, as they refuse to acknowledge their crimes (because they maintain innocence), which the system considers an essential pre-requisite for rehabilitation. So they are faced with the impossible decision of admitting to the crime, in the hope of release, or continuing to maintain innocence, knowing that they may never come out of prison as a result.
4. NO ALTERNATIVE ORGANISATION:
The INUK was established because there is no other organisation that can address these problems in the same way. As an independent umbrella organisation, with a firm educational base, it can provide a strong voice in a unique, collaborative way.
How does the INUK support member innocence projects?
1. It gives affiliating universities the benefit of membership of a national educationally-driven organisation, with access to wider supporters and contacts from the diverse world of the miscarriage of justice community.
2. It provides cases to member innocence projects from its central casebank, established by gathering letters from prisoners maintaining innocence over past years. The database serves to avoid different innocence projects duplicating work for the same clients, and provides a valuable and evolving central research base.
3. It provides a low cost annual national training programme, subsidised where necessary, regularly reviewed and consisting of high quality sessions and materials, designed to avoid the need for each innocence project to re-invent the training wheel. Bristol and Cardiff universities were jointly ‘Highly Commended’ by Lord Goldsmith in the Attorney General’s Pro Bono Awards 2007 for collaboration on devising and delivering the INUK national training programme.
4. It acts as a voice for the innocence project community in wider debates about clinical legal education.
5. Member innocence projects have access to key personnel within the wider INUK network for expert assistance with any queries they may have.
INUK's Culture
The INUK is striving to create a pervasive culture in everything that we do, of :
COLLABORATION: we consider that collaboration with academic and other colleagues towards our core aims will enhance rather than undermine all of our collective work and the reputations of our collaborators.
CO-OWNERSHIP: we want our collaborators to share ownership of our organisation and work together towards expanding it professionally in the wider interests of academia and improving social justice.
DEMOCRACY: we want our collaborators to share in decision-making as to the policy and future of our innocence project work and research.
INTEGRITY: at all times we will operate with integrity in endeavouring to achieve our stated aims.
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