
Unlock has written to Dame Vera Baird, Interim Chair of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), to raise concerns on behalf of the 12.4 million people in the UK living in the long shadow of the criminal record.
The letter follows a series of events that have shaken public confidence in the Commission’s leadership and its ability to act swiftly and independently, particularly in light of the shocking Andrew Malkinson case.
With the recent resignation of Chief Executive Karen Kneller and mounting scrutiny of the CCRC’s performance, we are calling for a renewed commitment to transparency. We say that it is now critical for those with lived experience to be placed at the heart of decision-making.
Read the letter here: Letter to Dame Vera Baird of the CCRC
Learn more about this topic
- Ending the Long Shadow of Criminal Records – Unlock’s five-year strategy 2026-31
- Unlock call for government to give young people a say in their future
- Unlock responds to the Government’s Youth Justice White Paper
- Unlock propose new clause to press regulator on reporting on spent offences
- We’re hiring! Head of Operations, Governance and Programmes Support
Most popular articles from Unlock
- Volunteer’s Week is almost here
- A better criminal records system for all children
- Aged 18-25? We want to hear from you
- Ever been to prison? What support did you get applying for benefits, finding work and returning to normal life?
- Unlock on BBC Radio West Midlands talking about second chances and employers

Comments
Add Comment