Dr Owusu-Bempah and Art not Evidence urge criminal evidence reforms in Parliament

On 17 June, Dr Abenaa Owusu-Bempah spoke to MPs and interested parties at a session of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Music and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Miscarriages of Justice. The session, organised with the Art Not Evidence campaign group, explored how creative expression, namely rap music, is misused to build criminal cases and secure convictions, particularly against groups of young Black people in controversial joint enterprise prosecutions. At the session, the need for law reform and Art Not Evidence’s proposed Criminal Evidence (Creative and Artistic Expression) Bill were also discussed. On 18 June, Kim Johnson MP, Chair of the APPG on Miscarriages of Justice, highlighted the Art Not Evidence campaign during a debate on the Crime and Policing Bill in the House of Commons. She spoke of the significant inroads the campaign is making and expressed support for the proposed Criminal Evidence (Creative and Artistic Expression) Bill which was drafted by lawyers and academics, including Dr Abenaa Owusu-Bempah.