This programme will address the legal and socio-economic mechanisms currently in place to identify miscarriages of justice in Scotland and the opportunities afforded to prisoners who are claiming innocence while in prison and following their release.
It will also focus on the education and training of practicing lawyers as well as law students concerning miscarriages of justice.
The programme will run from August to December 2009 and include participants from different sectors: academics, policy makers, lawyers, members of the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission, the Parole Board and the Howard League for Penal Reform in Scotland.
Discussions and workshops will integrate multiple disciplines including law, forensic science, sociology, psychology and criminology.
Programme team: Michael Bromby, Department of Law, Glasgow Caledonian University; Dr Michael Naughton, Innocence Network UK and University of Bristol; Prof. Amina Memon, Psychology, University of Aberdeen; Prof. Paul Maharg, Glasgow Graduate School of Law, University of Strathclyde.
Details of each part of the programme are given below.
Launch Event
The first event of this programme will be held on Tuesday 25th - Wednesday 26th August 2009 in the Institute for Advanced Studies, James Weir Building, Montrose Street, Glasgow. This event will consider the indentification of miscarriages of justice, and how the legal system deals with claims of innocence. The second day will examine how forensic sciences may impact upon miscarriages of justice.
A full programme for this event can be found here. Further discussions arising from the event can take place by registering for the programme which will give access to the document repository and discussion boards.
Legal Education
The second phase of the programme will be a series of events to examine the student experience gained from participating in Innocence Project casework with clients claiming innocence despite a criminal conviction.
The first event will be a planning meeting to be held at Glasgow Caledonian University involving stake holders in the GCU Innocence Project. Subsequent events will take place at the Institute to establish student placements and research projects with the Miscarriages of Justice Organisation (MOJO).
The second event will be held on Monday 26th and Thursday 29th October 2009 in the Institute for Advanced Studies, James Weir Building, Montrose Street, Glasgow to commence work on an annotated bibliography and to evaluate how work-related learning principles are embedded in project work. To register for the event, please contact Michael Bromby. The programme of events is available here, and further registration information is here.
Parole and Penal Reform
The third programme of events will consider in detail the parole system in relation to convicts maintaining innocence. It will focus on what alternative interventions could be offered, how this affects in particular convicted sex offenders and the issue of recall and proportionality following release. It will be held on Monday 30th November and Tuesday 1st December 2009 at the Institute.
A full programme for this event can be found here. To register for the event, please contact Michael Bromby.
Jury Research
The final event within the programme will be a two day conference and networking event for UK researchers in the field of jury research. Despite a perceived ban on jury research, many researchers use mock-juries or theoretical models in their work. This event in March 2010 will be an opportunity for researchers to present their work and discuss pertinent issues in this area.
The event will be open to all UK researchers in the field of jury research in its widest context. The date and final programme are to be announced, and registration for the event will be open soon. Please contact Rhonda Wheate with any queries.
Register your interest
Click here to register for access to the group and document repository.
Please note that registering for the group and document repository does not guarantee a place to attend the programme events. If you would like to attend a particular meeting or event, please email the organisers to enquire about attendance. Some events may only have a limited number of places available.
Learn more
If you would like to learn more about this programme, please email the programme convener.