Criminal Cases Review Commission told to urgently improve after Malkinson failings
Summary
A watchdog group inspected the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) and found it must urgently improve how it investigates possible wrongful convictions. This follows criticism over how the CCRC handled the Andrew Malkinson case, where a man was wrongly jailed for 17 years before DNA evidence led to his release.Key Facts
- The CCRC reviews cases where people claim a mistake was made in their convictions.
- The chief inspector of the Crown Prosecution Service, Anthony Rogers, led the inspection.
- The CCRC was criticized for delays and mistakes in the Andrew Malkinson case, one of the worst in UK history.
- Malkinson spent 17 years in prison for a crime he did not commit; DNA evidence eventually cleared him.
- The CCRC’s chief executive and chair resigned after the scandal, and Dame Vera Baird became interim chair.
- The watchdog found the CCRC lacks strong quality checks on investigations and recommended 34 changes.
- The CCRC is handling many long-running cases and saw a rise in applications, with 1,841 made in 2025-26.
- Despite problems, the watchdog said the CCRC is still able to do its job but must improve to avoid future failures.
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