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JENGbA (Joint Enterprise Not Guilty by Association) was set up in 2010 by mothers whose children had been convicted of murder and believed that there was something seriously wrong with the way the law had been applied in their children's cases.
They met once a month to share their stories and try to support each other through difficult times. Whilst the campaigners acknowledge that there has often been a tragic death at the heart of these cases, they say that the law hasn't allowed their children to be given a fair trial, and therefore true justice hasn't been served. After a 5-year fight, in October 2015, a team of lawyers and academics supported by the campaigners successfully brought an important appeal case known as "Jogee" to the UK Supreme Court. In February 2016, after careful consideration, the UK Supreme Court announced that in fact that the law had taken a 'wrong turn' three decades earlier and subsequently the law reverted back to how it had been prior to 1984. However, a change in the law wouldn't automatically entitle any prisoners to an appeal. |
How do we have the power to foresee what someone else is doing when they are not even in your sight? |
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Joint Enterprise law As part of English Common Law, Joint Enterprise has evolved from case law set by judges. Therefore under law set by precedent, if a defendant was involved with an accomplice in one offence, and they “foresaw” that their accomplice might go on to commit another crime, they could be found guilty of the second offence without having taken part in it. In the case of a murder, it would be enough to get a conviction and a life sentence. |
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