Criminal Injustice - An Evaluation of the Criminal Justice Process in Britain (Electronic book text)

Drawing upon a wealth of research evidence, this text examines the historical, structural, cultural and political tensions that exist within the criminal process and the ways in which routine injustices and wrongful convictions are produced. The nature of the now infamous miscarriage of justice cases is explored, together with the impact of the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice Report of 1993 and the wave of legislation which followed it. Reforms such as curtailment of the right to silence and guilty plea sentence discounts reflect a shift from due process rhetoric to an overriding concern with the efficient use of resources in ways which benefit the system rather than protect the accused. The result, argue the authors, is a criminal justice process which is more, rather than less, likely to produce wrongful convictions.