Prison Reform Trust comment on joint enterprise
Commenting on today’s judgement by the Supreme Court in the cases of R v Jogee (Appellant) Ruddock (Appellant) v The Queen (Respondent)(Jamaica) concerning the application of the doctrine of joint enterprise, Juliet Lyon, Director of the Prison Reform Trust, said:
“This judgement brings useful clarity to a complex area of law which has been the subject of increasing concern from the cross-party justice committee, criminal justice professionals, policy-makers, penal reformers and others. In some instances sentencing under joint enterprise has acted as a dragnet. For families, victims and offenders, this judgement should prompt more precise and proportionate decisions at each stage in the criminal justice process.
“The court’s ruling that the law “took a wrong turning” will undoubtedly bring back to court cases where the original outcome was unjust. It is impossible to say how many cases this will affect but it is essential that resources are provided to allow appeals to be considered promptly.”
Commenting on today’s judgement by the Supreme Court in the cases of R v Jogee (Appellant) Ruddock (Appellant) v The Queen (Respondent)(Jamaica) concerning the application of the doctrine of joint enterprise, Juliet Lyon, Director of the Prison Reform Trust, said:
“This judgement brings useful clarity to a complex area of law which has been the subject of increasing concern from the cross-party justice committee, criminal justice professionals, policy-makers, penal reformers and others. In some instances sentencing under joint enterprise has acted as a dragnet. For families, victims and offenders, this judgement should prompt more precise and proportionate decisions at each stage in the criminal justice process.
“The court’s ruling that the law “took a wrong turning” will undoubtedly bring back to court cases where the original outcome was unjust. It is impossible to say how many cases this will affect but it is essential that resources are provided to allow appeals to be considered promptly.”
Notes
A full copy of the judgement is available at https://www.supremecourt.uk/cases/docs/uksc-2015-0015-press-summary.pdf
