Miscarriages of Justice: Compensation
(asked on 9th November 2023) - View Source
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take legislative steps to issue automatic compensation payments to individuals wrongly convicted of serious crimes.
Answered by
Laura Farris
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
There are no plans to amend section 133(2) of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 to introduce automatic payments of compensation following a qualifying miscarriage of justice. The statutory scheme sets out the eligibility criteria which must be met before an assessment of the amount of compensation can be made.
On 06 August 2023, the Lord Chancellor announced that wrongly convicted people will no longer face having “saved living costs” deducted from compensation for a miscarriage of justice. The Miscarriages of Justice Compensation Scheme guidance has been updated with immediate effect to reflect that change.