A LAW THAT CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOREVER.
You don't have to be the one who commits the crime to be found guilty. Understand the law. Know the risk. Make better choices.
I was 16 years old and got a life sentence for a crime I did not commit. Joint enterprise turned my whole world upside down.
—ADZ KHAN
Joint enterprise is a form of secondary liability in English law. It means you can be arrested, charged and convicted of a crime committed by someone else if the prosecution can prove that you intentionally encouraged or assisted that offence.
This can include your words, actions or other behaviour before or during the offence. In some circumstances, your presence can also be enough if it shows you were intentionally supporting or encouraging what happened.
SIMPLY BEING PRESENT IS NOT AUTOMATICALLY ENOUGH, BUT IT CAN BE ENOUGH IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES.
You do not have to carry the weapon, you do not have to physically commit the crime, and you do not have to intend the most serious outcome. Yet you can still be found guilty and receive the same sentence as the person who did.
Many young people do not know about joint enterprise. They get caught up in situations with friends, in groups or on social media. A single conversation, a moment of pressure or just being there can have life-changing consequences.
You don't have to commit the crime. You can still be held just as responsible.
You are with others before or during a crime.
You talk, encourage, or go along with a plan – even if you don't commit it.
Someone else carries out
the crime.
You can be arrested and charged, even if you didn't carry it out.
The court looks at all the evidence – including your words, actions, presence and the context.
You can be found guilty and receive the same sentence as the person who committed the crime.
A LIFE SENTENCE AT 16.
At 16, I was convicted of murder under joint enterprise. I did not kill anyone. I didn't carry a knife. I didn't intend for anyone to be killed. But because I was with others and the court believed I foresaw it might happen, I was handed a life sentence.
In that moment, my future, my family, and my freedom were taken away.
Joint enterprise didn't just change my life, it changed everything.
These are just some of the young people I've met who didn't realise the law could affect them.
DIFFERENT PEOPLE. DIFFERENT PATHS. A BRIGHTER TOMORROW.
A criminal record that affects education, work, travel and relationships.
Parents, siblings and loved ones face the emotional and financial impact.
Feelings of guilt, anger, depression and lost identity.
Careers, education, housing and a positive future taken away.
A criminal record that affects education, work, travel and relationships.
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