Category Archives: CCRC

Legal professionals, politicians, police and the public have a chance to hear how the criminal justice system sausage is made at a seminar “Lifting the Lid on Miscarriages of Justice.”

Andrew L. Urban Wrongful convictions in Australia are either a) uniquely infrequent or b) largely left undisturbed, according to a briefing paper by Flinders University legal academic Dr Bob Moles, examining the effect of the recently introduced new right of … Continue reading →

Andrew L. Urban.  If successful, will upcoming High Court appeals prompt reform, including a much needed Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) – as they should? 

Far reaching recommendations that go well beyond anything so far established in other countries are contained in the report by the Canadian Commission advising the government on the establishment of a Criminal Cases Review Commission, including that the new body … Continue reading →

Andrew L. Urban The latest forensic disaster, in which one of Australia’s most respected forensic scientists, Kirsty Wright, laid out the serious errors and problems in the ­Queensland government-run laboratory’s handling of forensic evidence in the murder of Shandee Blackburn, … Continue reading →

Andrew L. Urban. If you’ve been wrongfully convicted, just hope you’re living in a jurisdiction with well developed correcting functions in the legal system. Differing legal mechanisms in different places produce uneven outcomes. And while Australia has yet to even … Continue reading →

The Attorney General’s Transparency Branch has a fool proof tactic, straight out of Yes, Minister, to shut down anything it doesn’t want to address. 

A sealed envelope on the desk of every incoming Federal Attorney-General contains a short, unsigned, cryptic instruction: “Avoid CCRC”. How do we know this? It’s elementary, my dear Whatsyourname; it’s like this … ANDREW L. URBAN tells a tale you … Continue reading →

In the following letter, wrongfulconvictionsreport – with the support of several senior figures in the legal community – urges the Attorney General to consider establishing a Criminal Cases Review Commission, arguing valid reasons and outlining a practical formula. We hope … Continue reading →