📢 System Failure: The wrong turn: How a legal loophole is destroying lives at a cost of £1.2bn each and every year

Imagine being present when a crime occurs, but not committing it. Now imagine being convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. This is the reality for hundreds convicted under ‘joint enterprise’—a law the Supreme Court admits took a “wrong turn.”

A new report reveals this injustice comes with an eye-watering price tag: £1.2 billion of public money every year to maintain a system that unfairly targets the young, the vulnerable, and the marginalised.

A damning new report reveals the UK spends a shocking £1.2 billion annually prosecuting people under the controversial ‘joint enterprise’ law, often snaring innocent bystanders and minors in its net.

Joint enterprise allows multiple people to be convicted for a crime committed by one. Despite a 2016 Supreme Court ruling that the law had taken a “wrong turn” for 30 years, its use hasn’t slowed.

The human cost is immense: lives ruined by murder convictions for those who may have been mere bystanders. The financial cost is equally staggering:

• £242 million is spent annually on joint enterprise prosecutions.

• Incarcerating just 95 children convicted this way costs £14.5 million a year.

• The system disproportionately targets marginalised communities, exacerbating inequality.

A new bill proposes critical reform, requiring an individual to make a “significant contribution” to a crime to be convicted. It’s a change desperately needed to restore justice and stop this billion-pound injustice.

A Doctrine in Need of Reform

Joint enterprise is a legal doctrine that holds all participants in a crime responsible for the actions of any single member, even if they did not commit the act itself. While the Supreme Court’s 2016 ruling in R v Jogee acknowledged the law had been wrongly applied for three decades—based on mere “foresight” rather than “intent”—the decision has done little to change prosecution rates or help those already wrongly imprisoned.

The Financial and Human Toll

The report breaks down the enormous costs:

• The annual cost of prosecuting joint enterprise defendants exceeds £242 million.

• Each additional defendant in a homicide case adds approximately £1.3 million.

• This spending diverts crucial funds from crime prevention and rehabilitation.

Furthermore, the application of the law is deeply unequal. 14% of those prosecuted are children, and it perpetuates the disparities highlighted in the Lammy Report, with Black and minority ethnic communities disproportionately affected.

Beyond the financials, the law has shattered families and eroded trust in the justice system by condemning minor offenders and innocent bystanders to life sentences for murders they did not commit, intend, or encourage.

The Joint Enterprise (Significant Contribution) Bill, proposed by Kim Johnson MP and backed by cross-party politicians and advocacy group JENGbA, seeks to rectify this. It aims to amend the law to ensure conviction requires a “significant contribution” to the crime, protecting the innocent while ensuring the guilty are still held accountable. As the evidence mounts, the call for this urgent reform grows ever louder.

Founder and Director, Truth Reclaimed, a movement to expose injustice, amplify silenced voices, and fight for those wrongfully accused or erased. Together, we reclaim truth and demand accountability.