Responding to Applicants’ Allegations of Policing Without Integrity

Abstract

This chapter examines the Criminal Cases Review Commission's response to claims that policing without integrity affects the safety of the applicant's conviction. It first considers cases of wrongful conviction that led to the establishment of two royal commissions on criminal procedure and criminal justice before discussing whether the inclusion of allegations of police misconduct can be the ‘kiss of death for an application to the Commission’ and whether the test of unsafety is more widely protective than a test of innocence. It then explores how the Commission's ‘surround’ influences its decision field and how it assumes a legal frame in making crucial decisions regarding evidence of improper policing. It also analyses cases with police misconduct and non-disclosure as a ground for referral before concluding with an overview of past, present, and future challenges faced by the Commission with regard to the issue of policing without integrity.