Imagine witnessing a crime but not participating in it—only to be convicted of murder and sentenced to life behind bars. This is the harsh reality for hundreds across the UK, swept up under the controversial legal doctrine of joint enterprise.
Even the Supreme Court admits the law took a “wrong turn.”
And now, a groundbreaking report from Manchester Metropolitan University—The Mounting Cost of Injustice—reveals the staggering toll: £1.2 billion of public money wasted every year to uphold a system that disproportionately punishes the young, the vulnerable, and the marginalised.
⚖️ What Is Joint Enterprise?
Joint enterprise allows prosecutors to convict people for crimes committed by others, based not on direct intent, but on association or “foresight.”
In 2016, the Supreme Court ruling in R v Jogee confirmed what campaigners had long argued: the law had been wrongly applied for over 30 years. But for those already convicted, the ruling offered no automatic release, no retrials—just silence.
💸 The True Cost—Financial and Human
The Manchester Met report exposes the waste:
£242 million spent each year on joint enterprise prosecutions
£1.3 million added for each additional defendant in homicide trials
£14.5 million to incarcerate just 95 children under joint enterprise
These figures are shocking. But beyond money, they represent shattered lives, broken families, and a justice system the public can no longer trust.
👶 Children Targeted, Communities Harmed
The human cost hits hardest in vulnerable communities.
14% of prosecutions involve children—some as young as 13 years old.
Many convictions are based not on actions, but on proximity or friendship.
The Lammy Review confirmed what families already knew: Black and minority ethnic communities are disproportionately targeted, deepening racial injustice.
🧓 Families Still Waiting for Justice
For those convicted between 1985 and 2016, the Supreme Court’s correction came far too late. Thousands remain behind bars, their appeals dismissed, their families left to fight a system that admits its error but refuses to undo the damage.
🛠️ A Bill for Change
There is hope.
The Joint Enterprise (Significant Contribution) Bill, championed by Kim Johnson MP and supported by JENGbA (Joint Enterprise Not Guilty by Association), proposes a simple but vital reform:
👉 Prosecutors must prove a significant contribution to the crime—not just presence, not just association.
This change would protect innocent bystanders while holding the truly guilty to account.
🔊 The Call for Reform Grows Louder
Joint enterprise has cost the UK billions—but the human cost is far greater.
Every day reform is delayed, more young people are swept into a system that even its highest court admits is broken.
Reform isn’t just necessary. It’s urgent.
✊ Truth Reclaimed CIC stands with the families, campaigners, and survivors fighting to end the injustice of joint enterprise.
📢 Support the movement: Donate here to help us campaign, educate, and give survivors a voice.
