Public Consultation: Should the CCRC Go or Stay

As part of the UK government’s requirement to reform public bodies, all government departments must conduct a Tailored Review of their arm’s length bodies at least once in the lifetime of a parliament, every 5 years.

As with all Tailored Reviews, the review of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) will examine whether there is a continuing need for the function and form of the organisation.

If it is agreed that the organisation should be retained, the review will assess the body’s capacity for delivering more effectively and efficiently, and will include an assessment of their performance.

It will also review the control and governance arrangements to make sure they comply with the recognised principles of good corporate governance.

CCRC was established under the Criminal Appeal Act 1995 to investigate possible miscarriages of justice in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. If it assesses that there is a ‘real possibility’ a conviction or appeal will be overturned in a Court of Appeal the Commission may refer the case to the relevant Court where it must be heard.

CCRC is operationally independent of the government and funded by a Grant in Aid from the Ministry of Justice.

Full details of the form and functions of the organisation can be found in the Criminal Appeal Act 1995.

Why We Are Consulting

To complete a full assessment of CCRC, we are inviting contributions from people and organisations that have an involvement with, or interest in, CCRC.

The responses will be analysed by the review team and will form the basis of the recommendations and the final report.

The review is expected to take four months and the final report will be published on the gov.uk website.

Tailored review of the Criminal Cases Review Commission: Call for evidence

https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/ccrc-review-call-for-evidence/

Source: Ministry of Justice