APPEAL

About our organisation/network
We fight the cases of individual victims of unsafe convictions and unfair sentences who cannot afford to pay for a lawyer themselves. We provide not just legal representation but also thorough investigation and holistic support, neither of which are properly funded by Legal Aid. We use individual cases to advocate and campaign, informing the media, parliament, criminal justice policy makers and the public about how and why miscarriages of justice occur and what needs to change to stop them. We inspire the legal profession to take on this challenge and join us in fighting for change. Our vision is a justice system in England and Wales in which people are at far less risk of wrongful conviction or unfair sentencing, and all such wrongs are righted as a matter of urgency.

The change we want to see
Our Women’s Justice Initiative responds to widespread recognition that women in prison are a highly vulnerable group, many of whom do not need to be in prison at all. We want to see a justice system that is responsive to the root causes of crime and seeks to rehabilitate women, rather than torpedo their lives. We represent women who are severely and multiply disadvantaged, seeking to challenge their sentences or convictions. At the same time, we use women’s individual cases to drive widespread and lasting change that will benefit all women caught up in the criminal justice system. Through this impact litigation, we aim to drastically reduce the destructive use of prison sentences against women convicted of minor, non-violent crimes.