On Twitter Felicity celebrated Kim Johnson MP’s presentation of the Bill: ‘Now here’s a great Parliamentary moment!!’. The Bill aims to amend the Accessories and Abettors Act 1861 to ensure that people are not held criminally liable for acts they did not directly commit or making a significant contribution to committing.
Felicity has previously noted that there ‘a growing cohort of prisoners whose contribution to a crime has never been meaningfully measured. With no minimum threshold for the conduct element and, in murder, the consequence of a life sentence with a minimum term of decades in length, this latest approach to joint enterprise also contributes to over criminalisation and over incarceration, particularly of young people, and not to be forgotten that this is against a background of institutional racism. At best it is an error. At worst it is deliberate.’
The Bill attempts to address this problem. It will be read for a second time in February 2024.
Joint Enterprise (Significant Contribution) Bill
The presentation of the proposed legislation has received media coverage in the Morning Star and BBC News (featured image).
Now here’s a great Parliamentary moment!! https://t.co/TvLJ4oYs1y
— Dr Felicity Gerry KC (@felicitygerry) December 6, 2023
