The chair of the Criminal Cases Review Commission has decided to have the miscarriage of justice body’s work thoroughly checked – asking the chief inspector for the Crown Prosecution Service to conduct an in-depth probe.
Dame Vera Baird KC said it was important that Westminster, the public, applicants and potential applications have confidence in the CCRC’s work and the assurance of an inspection would ‘prove that point’ or flag improvements that need to be made.
Baird acknowledged shortly after her appointment in June that confidence in the CCRC had been ‘badly damaged’ after the organisation came under fire for its handling of the Andrew Malkinson miscarriage of justice.
Helen Pitcher quit as chair in January, telling the lord chancellor she was ‘scapegoated’ over the handling of the Malkinson case. A few months later, barrister Karen Kneller resigned as chief executive after MPs said her position had become ‘untenable’.
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The CPS inspectorate’s investigation will begin in January. However, CCRC staff gathered in Birmingham last week to share ideas, discuss casework developments and hear from the CPS’s chief inspector, Anthony Rogers, and his deputy, Lisa Morris.
Rogers said: ‘Independent inspection is vital for driving performance improvements and delivering real benefits. I welcome this opportunity to work closely with the CCRC and help strengthen their processes and ensure they fulfil their crucial mission of identifying and correcting miscarriages of justice.’
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