The Royal Commission on Criminal Justice, also known as the Runciman Commission, was established in London on 14 March 1991 by the

Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, more commonly known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom and the head of the Home Office. The position is a Great Office of State, maki ...

for the purpose of examining the English system of criminal justice and making recommendations as to changes that should be made in order increase the efficiency of the system and the effective justice inherent in the process. It took effect in 1993. The Commission was the continuation of Sir John May's inquiry into the false convictions of the

Maguire Seven The Guildford Four and Maguire Seven were two groups of people, mostly Northern Irish, who were wrongly convicted in English courts in 1975 and 1976 of the Guildford pub bombings of 5 October 1974 and the Woolwich pub bombing of 7 November 1974. ...

and extension to other miscarriages of justice. Viscount Runciman was the original chairman. In particular, it was to examine: # The behaviour of the police and supervising officers. # Proper process of prosecutors # Forensic science and the role of professional witnesses. # The rights of the accused to a proper defence. # The range of powers of the courts in the process, and if the balance is proper. # The global efficacy of the process, including process in the right to appeal. The Royal Commission reported to Parliament in July 1993 and recommended the establishment of an independent body to: *consider suspected miscarriages of justice *refer appropriate cases to the

Court of Appeal An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...

As a result the Criminal Appeal Act 1995 established the

Criminal Cases Review Commission The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) is the statutory body responsible for investigating alleged miscarriages of justice in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It was established by Section 8 of the Criminal Appeal Act 1995 and be ...

as an executive non-departmental public body.CCRC Website
The total expenditure of the Royal Commission was £2 600 000.

References

Criminal Justice Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the rehabilitation of offenders, preventing other ...

1990s in the United Kingdom 1991 establishments in the United Kingdom {{UK-gov-stub

See also

References