I
17 June 2020
Appeals system fails prisoners
Women who have been unfairly convicted or sentenced to jail are being denied the chance to redress miscarriages of justice because the appeals system in England and Wales is not fit for purpose, the law group Appeal has alleged as reported by the Guardian.
In particular, those who have been victims of trauma or domestic abuse are unable to make a legal challenge due to the “unrealistic” 28-day window allowed to make an application to the criminal Court of Appeal, the report highlights.
Its author, Naima Sakande, Appeal’s women’s justice advocate, said innocent women who had experienced trauma were left to languish in prison because the time limit had expired by the time they were able to disclose the abuse.
