Criminology Task 9
Miscarriages of justice
Miscarriages are more prevalent than most people realise, and I've investigated this via a variety of
situations. Derek Bentley was accused of murdering two police officers alongside a companion, and
as a result, the 19-year-old was hung after serving ten years in jail. The Guildford four were
imprisoned for 14 years before their convictions for two IRA bomb blasts in Guildford were
overturned by an appeals court in 1989. Furthermore, the Birmingham six were wrongfully accused
of the murder of 21 people when explosives exploded in Birmingham, and they were imprisoned for
17 years. In the instance of Stefan Kiszuko, he was convicted of sexually murdering a young girl and
sentenced to 16 years in jail before being freed.
Miscarriages of justice do occur, as evidenced by my analysis and examination of cases. One cause
for this is police wrongdoing, like in the case of Derek Bentley, they misconstrued a vital word "let
him have it," in which Bentley was ordering his companion Craig to hand over the pistol. The price
distorted this, claiming Bentley encouraged Craig to shoot the police officers and therefore was
responsible for the killings. In addition, a key police witness lied under oath. Police wrongdoing was
also apparent in the Guildford four, as the suspects were subjected to significant persuasion by the
police, including intimidation, torture, and threats to their families. Because the police were under
pressure to prosecute, and because of the brutality of their questioning techniques, the four
confessed to murder. Similarly, in the case of the Birmingham six, a specialised unit of the police
conducted a targeted stop and search. As a result, the six were attacked by police and denied food
and sleep while detained.
I may also conclude that miscarriages of justice occur mostly as a result of evidence, as in the
instance of the Guildford four, who accepted their guilt but afterwards withdrew their confessions,
telling the court they had confessed owing to the torture. It was later found that the evidence that
would have exonerated the four had not been brought to the notice of the authorities. Similarly, in
the case of the Birmingham six, the forensic evidence used to produce positive findings for
explosives handling was overturned, with the court stating that these convictions were dangerous
and unsatisfactory as a consequence of new evidence. In both of these cases, evidence that
exonerated the suspects was withheld pending a retrial. In the instance of Stefan Kiszuo, scientific
evidence established that he was unable to leave sperm at the site, implying that the suspect could
not have been the perpetrator. Similarly, DNA exonerated Sean Hodgson, with DNA analysis from
the crime site indicating that it couldn't have been him. This confirms my opinion that evidence plays
a significant role in miscarriages of justice and that the criminal justice system can never be just
unless these flaws are addressed.
Many of these miscarriages of justice cannot be rectified. Derek Bentley, for example, was hung in
1953, years before he was cleared of his crimes, and therefore justice can never be denied. Stefan
Kiszuo spend 16 years in jail until his conviction was overturned in 1992, but he died in 1993, thus he
spent the majority of his life in prison. Sean Hodgson, for example, was released from jail in 2009
and died in 2012. However, certain miscarriages of justice have been rectified. The Guildford four's
conviction was overturned by the court of appeals in 1989, and they have subsequently led regular
lives, whilst the Birmingham six were released in 1991 following their second appeal. In both of
these circumstances, they were given the chance to live again. From this, I believe that most
miscarriages of justice are irreversible, and people frequently live their lives in the shadow of their
convictions. As a result, despite the criminal justice system's efforts to remedy its wrongs, it remains
overwhelmingly unfair.
Miscarriages of justice
Miscarriages are more prevalent than most people realise, and I've investigated this via a variety of
situations. Derek Bentley was accused of murdering two police officers alongside a companion, and
as a result, the 19-year-old was hung after serving ten years in jail. The Guildford four were
imprisoned for 14 years before their convictions for two IRA bomb blasts in Guildford were
overturned by an appeals court in 1989. Furthermore, the Birmingham six were wrongfully accused
of the murder of 21 people when explosives exploded in Birmingham, and they were imprisoned for
17 years. In the instance of Stefan Kiszuko, he was convicted of sexually murdering a young girl and
sentenced to 16 years in jail before being freed.
Miscarriages of justice do occur, as evidenced by my analysis and examination of cases. One cause
for this is police wrongdoing, like in the case of Derek Bentley, they misconstrued a vital word "let
him have it," in which Bentley was ordering his companion Craig to hand over the pistol. The price
distorted this, claiming Bentley encouraged Craig to shoot the police officers and therefore was
responsible for the killings. In addition, a key police witness lied under oath. Police wrongdoing was
also apparent in the Guildford four, as the suspects were subjected to significant persuasion by the
police, including intimidation, torture, and threats to their families. Because the police were under
pressure to prosecute, and because of the brutality of their questioning techniques, the four
confessed to murder. Similarly, in the case of the Birmingham six, a specialised unit of the police
conducted a targeted stop and search. As a result, the six were attacked by police and denied food
and sleep while detained.
I may also conclude that miscarriages of justice occur mostly as a result of evidence, as in the
instance of the Guildford four, who accepted their guilt but afterwards withdrew their confessions,
telling the court they had confessed owing to the torture. It was later found that the evidence that
would have exonerated the four had not been brought to the notice of the authorities. Similarly, in
the case of the Birmingham six, the forensic evidence used to produce positive findings for
explosives handling was overturned, with the court stating that these convictions were dangerous
and unsatisfactory as a consequence of new evidence. In both of these cases, evidence that
exonerated the suspects was withheld pending a retrial. In the instance of Stefan Kiszuo, scientific
evidence established that he was unable to leave sperm at the site, implying that the suspect could
not have been the perpetrator. Similarly, DNA exonerated Sean Hodgson, with DNA analysis from
the crime site indicating that it couldn't have been him. This confirms my opinion that evidence plays
a significant role in miscarriages of justice and that the criminal justice system can never be just
unless these flaws are addressed.
Many of these miscarriages of justice cannot be rectified. Derek Bentley, for example, was hung in
1953, years before he was cleared of his crimes, and therefore justice can never be denied. Stefan
Kiszuo spend 16 years in jail until his conviction was overturned in 1992, but he died in 1993, thus he
spent the majority of his life in prison. Sean Hodgson, for example, was released from jail in 2009
and died in 2012. However, certain miscarriages of justice have been rectified. The Guildford four's
conviction was overturned by the court of appeals in 1989, and they have subsequently led regular
lives, whilst the Birmingham six were released in 1991 following their second appeal. In both of
these circumstances, they were given the chance to live again. From this, I believe that most
miscarriages of justice are irreversible, and people frequently live their lives in the shadow of their
convictions. As a result, despite the criminal justice system's efforts to remedy its wrongs, it remains
overwhelmingly unfair.
