Two campaign meetings in London heard from mothers whose children have faced prosecution under the joint enterprise doctrine.
The first, titled ‘Let’s Talk About Joint Enterprise’, took place at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre in Haringey, north-east London. Lynette Charles of Black Thrive Haringey introduced the event.
JP’s Legacy, a Community Interest Company, organised the meeting. Its founder, Pearls Loren Wisdom, set it up to support other mothers after her son’s acquittal on a murder charge.
The agenda featured live performances. IAMTARIQQ spoke about joint enterprise and performed a poem/rap, while another artist, Cleeshay, described his own experience of prison. Black Thrive Haringey presented statistics on how unevenly prosecutors use the charge across different cohorts.
Barrister Keir Monteith KC took part by video link. He described a recent case he had won, in which a jury acquitted a group of young men. Pearls then introduced mothers whose sons remain in prison, or who had spent time on remand awaiting trial.
Organisers wanted local families in the audience to talk to their children about the risk of joint enterprise charges. Young people can face such charges without ever joining an attack, simply for being there or knowing those involved.
Maria Campbell from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) explained what prosecutors consider before bringing a joint enterprise charge. She stayed until the end to talk with families. She said the CPS wants to go out into the community to discuss its work, inform the public and improve.
The CPS has recently admitted that “unconscious bias” might explain why it charges young Black men in disproportionate numbers. After the meeting it said it is actively studying the causes, with the aim of an equitable system.
The evening also included a 40-minute film by JPs Legacy and The Resistance. It told the stories of the mothers and their children in detail.
The second meeting took place at the University of Westminster. There, JENGbA (Joint Enterprise Not Guilty by Association) unveiled a new exhibition on its history, made with the university.
Dr Nicola Campbell, a lecturer at the university’s law school, opened the event. She discussed her research on how the law defines the charge, and shared facts and figures.
Dr Megan Carnite, who created the exhibition, followed her. She built it from a selection of photos, letters and poetry by people affected by the charges and by imprisonment.
Panels of speakers then talked about their own experiences. Three mothers, Lisa, Been and Rachel, went first, and their accounts of supporting their children moved the audience to tears.
Jan Cunliffe and Gloria Morrison spoke next. Both had children imprisoned under the doctrine, and in 2010 they launched JENGbA.
