AC3.2 full marks that I used in my controlled assessment and I received an A*. This writeup was marked by my 2 criminology teachers who are also Criminology Examiners.
There are 4 conclusions: Just/Unjust Verdicts, Miscarriage of Justice, Safe/Unsafe Verdict and
Just/Unjust Sentencing
Just/Unjust Verdicts
A just verdict is a verdict handed down by the jury or magistrates that is deemed appropriate for the
crime committed by the offender. An unjust verdict is a verdict that is handed down by the jury or
magistrates that is deemed unfair or ‘over the top’ for the crime committed by the offender. An
example of a Just/Unjust Verdict is the Stephen Lawrence Case Study. We will analyse the case study
and determine whether the verdict was just or unjust.
On the 22nd of April 1993, in Eltham, South-East London, Stephen Lawrence was stabbed to death
while waiting at a bus stop with his friend. Stephen was a victim of an unprovoked attack caused by a
gang of white youths
Stephen Lawrences case has a long but important timeline to it which determines whether Stephen
Lawrences case was a Just or Unjust Verdict. After Stephens murder on the 29th July the CPS drop
charges against the suspects. As a result, in September of 1994 the family of Stephen Lawrence
launched a private prosecution which ended up failing in 1976. In 1999 the MacPherson report was
published, which identified the ‘institutional racism’ in the police force and due to this, the Criminal
Justice Act scrapped the Double Jeopardy Law in 2005 and this meant that Gary Dobson and David
Norris (the 2 suspects) could be convicted based on the new evidence and this happened as the Trial
of the 2 suspects began in 2011 based on the new evidence. Both were found guilty and were given
life sentences
Looking at the timeline there were many instances of where Stephens Case was a Just Verdict as well
as an Unjust Verdict. For example when the CPS dropped charges that is an example of an unjust
verdict. They dropped the case due to ‘insufficient evidence’. But this reasoning was primarily due to
the own police’s fault. For example the initial officer in charge of the case was temporary, he lacked
urgency and was often inactive on the case. Furthermore, police received 22 firm leads about the
suspects being a group of 5 white men but no prosecution followed from them and this is why it is
an example of an unjust verdict.
However when the MacPherson Report was published which allowed the Double Jeopardy Rule to
be scrapped which then in return allowed the trial to begin, this was an example of a Just Verdict.
This is because the trial happened again based on new evidence found by the police such as how
Stephens DNA was on one of the suspects jacket and so this was all possible thanks to the
MacPherson Report. This lead to the retrial of Dobson and Norris.
In short, the Stephen Lawrence case was an Unjust Verdict in the beginning but through further
research and more fighting from Stephens family, it became a Just Verdict in the end as both
suspects became guilty for murder in the end.
Miscarriage Of Justice
Miscarriages of justice is the failure of a court or judicial system to attain the ends of justice, which
results in the conviction of an innocent person. A miscarriage of justice is generally considered when
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