CWJ comment on The Jury: Murder Trial (Series 2) - The trial of a woman who killed her violent boyfriend
The second series in Channel 4’s BAFTA winning series, The Jury, to be screened from 26 August reconstructs the murder trial of a young woman who killed her violent boyfriend.
CWJ response to Investigatory Powers Tribunal’s judgment on MI5’s false evidence in the case of ‘Beth’
The President of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal has handed down a judgment on the implications of MI5 relying on false information in proceedings about its abusive agent, ‘X’.
CWJ’s initial response to publication of Law Commission’s landmark report on sexual offences
The Law Commission are today (22 July 2025) publishing a report on their consultation examining the law, guidance, and practice relating to the use of evidence in sexual offences cases.
New research reveals how the criminal justice system colludes with perpetrators of coercive control to criminalise their victims
In our new research report, ‘Doing his job for him’: how the criminal justice system fails victims of coercive control who are accused of offending’, we present the accounts of seven victims of coercive control who were unfairly criminalised as a result of their own experience of abuse and recommend reforms in law, policy and practice.
‘Doing his job for him’: How the criminal justice system responds when victims or coercive control are accused of offending
In this report we build on our Stop Criminalising Survivors film series and earlier research reports, Women Who Kill, Double Standard and No Safe Space, by presenting the detailed accounts of seven victim-survivors of coercive control, exploring their experiences of being investigated and charged for alleged offending that took place in the context of their own experience of abuse. Led by the survivors’ experiences and insights, we explore the following questions:
• How does coercive control lead victim/survivors to be accused of offending?
• How is victim/survivors’ experience of coercive control taken into account in proceedings against them, if at all?
• What is the impact on victim/survivors?
• What reforms are needed?
International Feminist Legal Network(IFLN)
CWJ welcomes new Victim’s Right of Review Pilot
CWJ welcomed the announcement by the Solicitor General, Lucy Rigby, and the Crown Prosecution Service to introduce a pilot which gives victims of rape and serious sexual violence an opportunity to challenge a decision to offer no evidence and end the case.
CWJ responds to Independent Sentencing Review
We welcome key recommendations on women in contact with the criminal justice system but raise concerns on early release of domestic abuse and sexual offence perpetrators.
Nominations are open for the 2025 Emma Humphreys Memorial Prize and CWJ Award!
We are now accepting nominations for the 2025 Emma Humphreys Memorial Prize and Centre for Women’s Justice Award.
Ban ‘bad character’ evidence in rape cases, say experts
The government has today (7 May 2025) introduced a new Victims and Courts Bill aiming to better protect victims and improve access to justice.
Courageous CWJ client secures conviction of rapist 23 years after attack
‘Sam’, a client of Centre for Women’s Justice (CWJ), who supported the CWJ case in relation to the disclosure of historic convictions for street prostitution has won another court victory.
CWJ responds to new powers to sack officers who fail background checks
We welcome the government’s announcement today (23 April 2025) that they have created new powers enabling chief constables to sack officers if they fail vetting standards.
Pregnancy and Prison. Do not mix.
The second in a series of guest blogs from Dame Vera Baird DBE KC.
The Undercover Police Scandal: Love and Lies Exposed
The ITV documentary The Undercover Police Scandal: Love and Lies Exposed reveals how undercover officers infiltrated political protest movements and formed intimate relationships with women under false identities. Told through the voices of five women who were victims of this deception, the series follows their journey to expose the scandal and seek justice. In this blog Harriet Wistrich reflects on the legal battle they fought.
Fresh Evidence Challenges Safety of Amanda O’Shaughnessy’s Conviction
On 4 March 2025 at a renewal hearing at the Court of Appeal, Annabel Timan (Doughty Street Chambers) will argue that Amanda O’Shaughnessy’s 2015 murder conviction is unsafe due to new psychiatric evidence supporting the defence of loss of control.
Prosecuting perpetrators for manslaughter when domestic abuse leads to suicide
The first in a series of guest blogs from Dame Vera Baird DBE KC.
MI5 misled multiple courts about informant who abused women
Lawyers acting for the Attorney General were forced to answer questions in the High Court, after it was revealed that a deputy director of MI5 made a false statement in proceedings about an MI5 recruit who terrorised his girlfriend, ‘Beth’.
Double Standard: Ending the unjust criminalisation of victims of violence against women and girls
CWJ responds to the National Audit Office’s report on VAWG
A new report released on 31 January 2025 by the National Audit Office reveals that despite this and the previous government’s initiatives, there has been no significant improvement in outcomes for victims of violence against women and girls.
CWJ response to the verdict in the trial of Ryan Wellings
On 13 January 2025 Ryan Wellings was found not guilty of manslaughter and guilty of assault and coercive and controlling behaviour between January 2020 and July 2022