The University of Newcastle Justice Clinic

The University of Newcastle Justice Clinic was established in 2019 and is based in the Newcastle School of Law and Justice. It is a site for research, engagement, learning and advocacy, where staff work in collaboration with students to investigate cases for clients of the organisation. The Justice Clinic is a hub for investigation, research and advocacy on issues within the criminal justice system, with a particular focus on miscarriages of justice and wrongful convictions.

Our cases

The Justice Clinic assists people who claim they have been convicted of a crime they did not commit.

When we can help:

  • Following a preliminary investigation, the Justice Clinic may investigate matters and where appropriate refer for further legal advice for people who claim to be innocent but were convicted of an offence and the appeals period has ended or new evidence may support a claim of wrongful conviction.

When are we unable to help:

  • The Justice Clinic does not accept cases for crimes of sexual violence or gender-based violence and the convicted person admits contact with the victim.
  • The Justice Clinic does not accept cases where the crime was of sexual or gender-based violence and the parties were known to each other.
  • The Justice Clinic does not accept cases where the defence is of a legal nature, such as provocation or self-defence.

The decision to accept a case is at the discretion of the Justice Clinic Director. In exceptional circumstances cases not meeting the above criteria may be considered. Please contact the Justice Clinic Director for any further enquiries.

Due to our limited resources, the large number of applications received and our guidelines, some cases may not be accepted.

The Justice Clinic is not a legal practice, nor are our volunteers. We do not provide legal advice or conduct legal advocacy and legal professional privilege will not apply to materials and information sent to us. However, any requests and additional assistance (if offered) will be dealt with confidentially as permitted by law. Information is stored securely and under the strictest conditions. When required, we work with lawyers associated with the Justice Clinic.

Mission

Our mission is not to establish innocence or guilt of an individual, but to assess whether the verdict of a case was unsafe because of an administration of justice issue or error of fact, or if there is fresh or compelling evidence, which at the time had the potential to change the outcome of the trial/conviction.

Aims

The aims and objectives of the program are to:

  • Undertake public interest advocacy as well as justice project and human rights cases where there has potentially been a serious failure in the administration of justice, which is unlikely to be redressed by the legal system without public interest advocacy.
  • Develop students' skills, such as research, document drafting, case analysis and collaboration, while displaying high standards of professionalism.
  • Provide real, problem-based learning experiences to enhance the capacity to solve clients' problems.
  • Provide an intensive clinical placement at the Justice Clinic to undertake in-depth client casework.
  • Develop an understanding of how individuals are impacted by our country’s criminal justice system, and gain a thorough awareness of course work integration into real world experiences.

Partnerships

Contact us

The University of Newcastle Justice Clinic
justice-clinic@newcastle.edu.au

Academic contacts

Enquiries about claims of factual innocence

If you, or someone you know, claim factual innocence and wish to have the matter reinvestigated by the Justice Clinic, you may apply by email or post to the address below: