Compensation

Most people think that when a person has gone to prison when they shouldn’t have, that they will receive compensation when their conviction is finally overturned.

However a most brutal law introduced in 2014 has meant the vast majority don’t get a penny.

It is no longer enough for the wrongfully convicted person to have proved that they are not guilty. To receive compensation, they must show that the new or newly discovered fact that led to the conviction being quashed shows “beyond reasonable doubt” that the person did not commit the offence (Criminal Justice Act 2014 Section 133 (1ZA)).

This essentially means they must prove their innocence – therefore reversing the age old principle of ‘innocent until proven guilty’. From 2016 to 2024, of the 591 applications for compensation by miscarriage of justice victims, only 39 were granted – less than 7%.

Innocent people who have spent many years in prison have been left destitute. That’s exactly what happened to Sam Hallam, who is supported by APPEAL. Despite his conviction being overturned in 2012, Sam has been denied any form of compensation.

APPEAL is calling for this abhorrent rule to be scrapped #PayUp4TimeSpent
– join the campaign here

Supporters:

Prime Minister’s Questions: David Davis MP raised the issue that 93 per cent of victims of miscarriages of justice are refused compensation for their wrongful conviction.

Prime Minister’s Questions: Ben Lake MP stood up for his constituent Brian Buckle, a victim of wrongful conviction, and called on the government to provide proper compensation.

Barcode:

It may be of interest that the core image of our campaign, Barcode , was originally created by Patrick Maguire in support of Sam Hallam, themselves both victims of miscarriages of justice. Patrick has said of the painting, “Bars and numbers – that’s all prison really is. The numbers in the painting have a special connection to the person I’ve done it for. With Sam, the barcode sequence is his date of birth, the next six is the date he was arrested, then his prison number, then I think it’s the date when the case was approved for review. And the last one, 22, is his age at the time.”

In the Media:

Radio 4 – APPEAL’s Co-Director, Matt Foot discussing the inhumane rule on Radio 4 following Sam Hallam’s case before the European Court of Human Rights