Miscarriage of Justice; Paul Blackburn

For many people miscarriage of justice is a rather exotic topic in legal process and carries little weight in terms of being a priority issue. The work of Innocence UK demonstrates that this issue is far from being a matter of low agenda and their work raises serious concerns about the process of law which should be of massive concern to all in the legal profession, the judiciary, the legislature and the public.

The main problem with this issue is that until it impacts on your own life in some way it is difficult to understand its relevance. We are presenting here Paul Blackburn's story in his own words. This is a highly personal narrative which is powerfully emotive. The feedback from many people who were at the INUK Conference at Freshfields where Paul spoke has been that it has profoundly changed their view of the issue. Many who have seen this talk on video also state that it has changed the way they think about justice in the UK.

Blackburn's story is a shocking tale about a legal process which at many points and for varied reasons failed this individual and effectively destroyed his life. Many in the legal profession are uncomfortable with this topic because they feel it is a biased critique of the system they administer. Such a view is counter to the idea of a progressive and dynamic legal system.

Surely there has to be an understanding that legal process, as with all human activity, can never be perfect and in that knowledge there should be an understanding that change is an intrinsic element of the process. Some would say that it is the defence of a flawed process in order to protect an illusory integrity which keeps people like Paul Blackburn in prison when they are actually innocent.

In a mature society we should have the moral strength and conviction collectively to admit our errors, correct flawed process and release those who are legally and factually innocent. This is not happening with the speed necessary to provide justice and that more than anything is what needs to change. Sadly Paul is not an isolated example of miscarriage of justice but he is an articulate example of the damage done to human lives by the preservation of a system rather than the defence of morality.

Jack Adams
28 12 2010

In this video Paul uses strong language, as he has every right to do, and if such language offends you then please do not make your own choice to watch this content.

Video from the Innocence UK Channel on HumanRightsTV