The Citizen's Commission on Scandals in Justice
Mission Statement
HistoryThe Citizen's Commission on Scandals in Justice (CCSIJ) traces its origins to a group of wrongfully convicted prisoners who met in prison between 1987 and 1990.Legal StructureFrom its beginnings, CCSIJ has been a non-profit making, voluntary organisation. It has not applied for UK charitable registration in order to maintain its independence and avoid interference from the English authorities. It is funded entirely by donations and contributions from members and supporters.Aims and ObjectivesCCSIJ aims to assist those who claim to be victims of a miscarriage of justice within the English criminal justice system. A miscarriage of justice comes into being when a Single Judge and/or the Full Court of Appeal or the Criminal Cases Review Commission reject an appeal or refuse a referral in circumstances where doubts remain as to the Appellant's guilt.How can CCSIJ help?CCSIJ offers moral support and campaign advice to Appellants, their families and supporters. In the first instance, Appellants should contact CCSIJ directly and, where necessary, nominate a supporter or family member to deal with enquiries on their behalf.CCSIJ does not organise campaigns on behalf of appellants. Their families and friends are encouraged to organise effective publicity campaigns, demonstrations and to join affiliated legal action and pressure groups. CCSIJ does not give legal advice nor retain lawyers on the appellant's behalf nor carry out official investigations or commission forensic, medical or expert opinions and reports for use in Court. CCSIJ's particular area of expertise is in the detailed analysis of police and prosecution evidence bundles and expert opinions. Most of our successful Appeals have been won through the identification of flawed or fabricated prosecution evidence and scientifically flawed expert opinions. CCSIJ also has a working knowledge of DNA Evidence and its potential flaws. What does it cost?CCSIJ makes no charge for its services.The Director's ReportAutumn 2004The original objective of CCSIJ was to assist victims of injustice to prepare submissions to the Court of Appeal or the Secretary of State. On 1st January 1997, the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) was established on the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice after a series of scandalous miscarriages of justice threatened to undermine public confidence in the British criminal justice system. The aim of the CCRC was to carry out investigations into alleged miscarriages of justice. The CCRC was equipped with powers of investigation and rights of disclosure that were not available to private organisations. During the following two years there was a lull in the number of cases handled by CCSIJ as hundreds of prisoners took their cases directly to the CCRC. CCSIJ's own outstanding cases were submitted to the CCRC. However, it soon became clear that a huge backlog had accumulated leading to a waiting list of several years. 1999 saw the first fruits of the CCRC's efforts. Cases began to trickle back into the private domain as more and more victims of injustice had their cases rejected without disclosure or investigation, in much the same way as the old Secretary of State/Court of Appeal system had functioned. It is now obvious to many campaigners and human rights campaigners that the CCRC is little more than a cosmetic device designed to assuage public concerns while actually covering up the legal system's mistakes. Despite all the measures supposedly in place to prevent miscarriages of justice, it seems they are happening in ever increasing numbers. Our own workload has increased and we are now finding ourselves being asked to investigate the activities of the CCRC as well as the traditional 'sausage machine' of the criminal justice system. The English criminal justice system is in crisis once again. The Director
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