Criminal Cases Review Commission

Name

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Legal name

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Website

https://ccrc.gov.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: The CCRC is funded by the Ministry of Justice. The service is completely free to applicants - the Commission never asks applicants or their representatives for money, regardless of how long they work on a case.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The CCRC is the independent public body that investigates potential miscarriages of criminal justice in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It reviews applications from individuals who believe they have been wrongly convicted or sentenced and have exhausted their appeal rights, using statutory powers to obtain materials from public bodies, and refers cases back to the appeal courts when new evidence or arguments are found. The service is completely free to applicants and is funded by the Ministry of Justice.

Product overview

The CCRC is a government body providing a single core service: the investigation of potential miscarriages of justice in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Their primary offering is the free Case Review Service, which allows applicants who have exhausted their appeal rights to request investigation of their convictions or sentences. The service is supported by an Online Application Form and an Easy Read Application Form to accommodate different applicant needs. The CCRC also maintains a Case Library for browsing referred cases, conducts Special Projects on specific justice issues (such as IPP sentences and Post Office cases), and facilitates an Academic Research Program that provides controlled access to casework records for criminal justice research. The organization does not operate a commercial product platform but provides these service offerings to the public.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Case Review Service Free case review service for individuals in England, Wales and Northern Ireland who believe they have been wrongly convicted or sentenced and have exhausted their appeal rights. The CCRC investigates cases using statutory powers to obtain materials from public bodies and may refer qualifying cases back to the appeal courts for a fresh appeal.
• Online Application Form Web-based form hosted on the CCRC website that allows applicants to submit case review requests online without needing legal representation.
• Easy Read Application Form Simplified application form designed to make the CCRC application process more accessible for unrepresented applicants, introduced in 2012.
• Case Library Publicly searchable online database of cases that the CCRC has referred to the appellate courts, allowing users to browse and search case summaries.
• Academic Research Programme Programme that facilitates independent academic research using CCRC casework records, providing access to nearly 25 years of data for criminal justice research projects.
• Special Projects Focused investigative projects addressing specific miscarriage-of-justice issues, including review of IPP/DPP sentences, Post Office Horizon cases and youth justice cases.

Quantifiable outcome

• 920+ cases referred to appellate courts since 1997, averaging one referral every 11 days
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI)coreOthersHMCPSI conducted a comprehensive inspection of CCRC casework in 2025-2026, commissioned by the Lord Chancellor. The inspection examined 60 sample cases and made 34 recommendations for improvement. This was the first inspection of CCRC processes since its creation in 1997. The CCRC is implementing all 34 recommendations.
• Ministry of JusticecoreOthersThe CCRC is funded by the Ministry of Justice and operates under the Criminal Appeal Act 1995. The Lord Chancellor requested a review of CCRC functioning and governance.
• Research Committee Academic AdvisorssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe CCRC Research Committee is supported by two independent academic advisors: Professor Anthea Hucklesby (University of Birmingham) and Professor Barry Goldson (University of Liverpool). They advise on research proposals and help identify areas of potential research beneficial to the CCRC and wider criminal justice system.
• Northumbria UniversitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing research project on 'Young Offenders' by Judith Amankwa Addo, investigating children and criminal appeals in England and Wales, including children as CCRC applicants.
• University of ExetersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompleted research project 'Testimony Evaluation in CCRC Casework' by Prof Rebecca Helm and Dr Emily Spearing, examining how the CCRC assesses credibility of non-expert witness testimony.
• University of SussexsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple research collaborations including 'The CCRC Applicant Experience - Legal Aid Research', 'The Potential Impact of Legal Aid Cuts', 'Protecting the Victims: Child Criminal Exploitation and the Modern Slavery Act Defence', and 'Wrongful Convictions of Refugees' projects.
• University of GlasgowsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch project 'Digital Evidence as Evidence in Sexual Offence Applications to the CCRC' by Prof Michele Burnham examining digital communications evidence in rape conviction cases.
• University of GreenwichsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch project 'The Impact of R v Jogee' by Dr Louise Hewitt examining joint enterprise liability applications to the CCRC, reviewing 247 applications made between 2009 and 2020.
• Centre for Women's JusticesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration on 'Women Who Kill' examining how the state criminalises women, published jointly with Justice for Women.
• Justice for WomensupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research with Centre for Women's Justice on women's experiences in the criminal justice system, particularly those who have killed abusive partners.
• Kalisher TrustsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe CCRC participates in the Kalisher Trust internship program which provides legal internships for aspiring criminal justice professionals.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland: Independent body investigating complaints against police in Northern Ireland. Shares jurisdictional overlap with the CCRC (Northern Ireland coverage) and similar independent-investigative public-body structure, though with policing rather than miscarriage-of-justice focus.
• Police Investigations & Review Commissioner (PIRC): Independent Scottish body that investigates complaints against the police and reviews policing. Comparable as an independent investigative public body with statutory powers, though with a different subject matter and Scottish jurisdiction.

Broad incumbents

• Parole Board for England and Wales: Independent public body that reviews parole for indeterminate-sentenced prisoners — overlapping with the CCRC's IPP/DPP special project work. Comparable as an arm's length justice body with statutory decision-making powers and a public-interest remit.
• Sentencing Council: Independent statutory body that issues sentencing guidelines for courts in England and Wales. Peer as an arm's length body operating within the criminal justice system, though its remit is guideline-setting rather than case review.
• Judicial Conduct Investigations Office: Independent office that supports the Lord Chancellor and Lord Chief Justice in handling complaints about judicial conduct. Peer as a smaller independent public body operating within the justice system with a complaints-investigation remit.

Others

• Criminal Appeal Office (CPS): Specialist unit within the Crown Prosecution Service that handles criminal appeals on behalf of the prosecution. Operates in adjacent territory (criminal appeals) but from the opposing institutional side, providing useful structural comparison for appellate workflow.
• HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI): The inspectorate that conducted the 2025-26 inspection of the CCRC. Relevant as the oversight body and a key relationship partner rather than a competing service provider.

Direct peers

• Innocence Project (US): US non-profit organisation that investigates post-conviction claims of innocence using DNA and other evidence, and works to exonerate the wrongly convicted. Highly comparable mission to the CCRC's case review function, though operating through private litigation rather than statutory referral powers.
• Innocence Project UK: London-based charity investigating potential wrongful convictions in the UK. Operates as a non-governmental complement to the CCRC, focusing on DNA and forensic evidence cases — making it a peer in mission and applicant base, though lacking statutory referral powers.
• Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission: The statutory Scottish equivalent of the CCRC, established under the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 to investigate potential miscarriages of justice and refer cases to the High Court of Justiciary. The most direct functional peer by mandate and operating model, differing only by jurisdiction.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/61569721272642
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/criminalcasesreviewcommission
• Instagraminstagram.com/the_ccrc
• Xx.com/ccrcupdate

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Criminal Cases Review Commission