Ac 3.2 Criminology Personal Notes
Unit: Crime Scene to Courtroom Date: Name:
Topic: 3.2 Conclusions
- Just verdicts
- Miscarriage
- Safe verdict
- Just sentencing
Notes made during the lesson (in your own words)
A safe verdict is when a decision is made based on all of the relevant facts in a criminal case
after a fair trial. In order to reach a safe verdict two factors are necessary, these include court
procedures being followed correctly during the trial and the evidence being credible,
reliable and admissible as well as sufficient to justify the verdict.
MISCARRIAGES OF JUSTICE
However, miscarriages of justice and unsafe verdicts often happen when there are issues
with the trial process or the evidence. If this is the case, defendants may seek to appeal
against their ‘guilty’ verdict. A miscarriage of justice is typically based on new evidence (like
DNA analysis), this is when the innocence of the defendant is proven when they appeal their
case with new information. Miscarriages are one type of wrongful conviction, this is because
the defendant was wrongfully found guilty however, incorrect conviction can also happen if
the defendant is not clearly innocent or guilty. In these kinds of cases convictions are
typically overturned as there were issues during the trial process. Therefore leading to the
jury not being certain if the defendant is guilty ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ as well as the trial
being unfair.
Some defects that may occur during the trial include the failure to call relevant witnesses or
present relevant evidence, jury irregularities, the judge misdirecting the jury or the judge
making mistakes in their legal rulings. An example of a case that was affected by
miscarriages of justice was The Birmingham Six 1975. Six Northern Irish Catholic men who
lived in Birmingham were arrested and accused of bombing two pubs. While in custody the
suspected individuals were treated inhumanely, being beaten, threatened and deprived of
food and sleep. This resulted in four of the men signing confessions to the crime. They were
all found guilty in 1975, as the judge regarded the confessions as admissible evidence. After
a previous failed appeal in 1976, the men appealed again in 1990 with new evidence of police
fabrication, wrongful exclusion of evidence and challenges to the confessions and forensic
evidence. Their appeal was successful as their conviction was deemed both unsatisfactory
and unsafe, resulting in them being released in 1991.
- John karmara
- Sean hodgson
Unit: Crime Scene to Courtroom Date: Name:
Topic: 3.2 Conclusions
- Just verdicts
- Miscarriage
- Safe verdict
- Just sentencing
Notes made during the lesson (in your own words)
A safe verdict is when a decision is made based on all of the relevant facts in a criminal case
after a fair trial. In order to reach a safe verdict two factors are necessary, these include court
procedures being followed correctly during the trial and the evidence being credible,
reliable and admissible as well as sufficient to justify the verdict.
MISCARRIAGES OF JUSTICE
However, miscarriages of justice and unsafe verdicts often happen when there are issues
with the trial process or the evidence. If this is the case, defendants may seek to appeal
against their ‘guilty’ verdict. A miscarriage of justice is typically based on new evidence (like
DNA analysis), this is when the innocence of the defendant is proven when they appeal their
case with new information. Miscarriages are one type of wrongful conviction, this is because
the defendant was wrongfully found guilty however, incorrect conviction can also happen if
the defendant is not clearly innocent or guilty. In these kinds of cases convictions are
typically overturned as there were issues during the trial process. Therefore leading to the
jury not being certain if the defendant is guilty ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ as well as the trial
being unfair.
Some defects that may occur during the trial include the failure to call relevant witnesses or
present relevant evidence, jury irregularities, the judge misdirecting the jury or the judge
making mistakes in their legal rulings. An example of a case that was affected by
miscarriages of justice was The Birmingham Six 1975. Six Northern Irish Catholic men who
lived in Birmingham were arrested and accused of bombing two pubs. While in custody the
suspected individuals were treated inhumanely, being beaten, threatened and deprived of
food and sleep. This resulted in four of the men signing confessions to the crime. They were
all found guilty in 1975, as the judge regarded the confessions as admissible evidence. After
a previous failed appeal in 1976, the men appealed again in 1990 with new evidence of police
fabrication, wrongful exclusion of evidence and challenges to the confessions and forensic
evidence. Their appeal was successful as their conviction was deemed both unsatisfactory
and unsafe, resulting in them being released in 1991.
- John karmara
- Sean hodgson
