New Inquiry: Joint Enterprise: Follow-Up
15 May 2014
The Justice Committee holds a further short inquiry into the changes that have occurred since its Report.
In 2011, the Committee undertook a short inquiry into the operation of the legal doctrine of joint enterprise. In its Report, published 11 January 2012, (House of Commons Justice Committee, Joint Enterprise, Eleventh Report of Session 2010–12) the Committee made a number of recommendations directed toward increasing clarity in this complex area of law. The Committee now proposes to hold a further short inquiry into the changes that have occurred since its Report.
Views requested
The Committee would be grateful for views in response to the following two questions
- What impact has the Crown Prosecution Service Guidance on joint enterprise charging decisions had on prosecutorial policy?
- In its previous report the Committee recommended that the Government should consult on the Law Commission’s proposals relating to joint enterprise in its Participating in Crime report. What recent developments have affected the case for the Government to hold such a consultation?
The Committee would also welcome factual and/or statistical information on the extent, if any, to which the use of joint enterprise has disproportionately affected certain communities and ethnic groups.
Submit evidence
Those wishing to submit evidence to the Committee’s inquiry are advised that, in accordance with the House’s sub judice resolution, the Committee is unable to accept evidence referring to individual cases which are before the courts, except in relation to judicial review of a ministerial decision, which may be referred to in evidence. Individual cases in which there are no live legal proceedings may be referred to in evidence, but the Committee is not permitted to take any action to investigate or intervene in such cases.
The deadline for submission of evidence is Friday 20 June 2014.
Please be aware that the Justice Committee is unable to investigate individual cases.