It is almost exactly 30 years since the BBC's Rough Justice team began investigating miscarriages of justice. The programme can claim to have achieved the overturning of the convictions of 18 people in 13 separate cases, continuing sporadically for over 25 years until it was finally axed in November 2007.
Timeshift looks at the creation of this extraordinary series and reveals what a shock to the system it was. Featuring contributions from many of those involved, it asks how it was that a television programme took it upon itself to question one of the oldest judicial systems in the world.
This documentary is also an opportunity to look at how much television and journalism have changed since Rough Justice was first commissioned. The programme's makers were hired with an open-ended brief that would be almost impossible to repeat today. It may only be thirty years ago, but this is a glimpse into a bygone era.
-
What's your verdict?
What exactly is 'justice'? Follow our fictional case and see if you can make judgements based on the facts as they are presented to you
Take part nowWhat's your verdict?Level: 1 Introductory
-
The court in 10 years' time
We asked our panel what we might expect to see if we arrived in the courtroom of 2018.
Listen nowThe court in 10 years' timeLevel: 1 Introductory
Justice: A Citizen's Guide
-
OU on the BBC: Justice: Amnesty! When They Are All Free
Marking the 50th anniversary of the campaigning group, Storyville presents a history of Amnesty International.
Read nowOU on the BBC: Justice: Amnesty! When They Are All FreeLevel: 1 Introductory
-
OU on the BBC: Justice: Timeshift - Crime and Punishment - The Story of Capital Punishment
Timeshift steps outside the highly charged debate over electric chairs and fatal injections to investigate the facts about judical killings.
Read nowOU on the BBC: Justice: Timeshift - Crime and Punishment - The Story of Capital PunishmentLevel: 1 Introductory
-
OU on the BBC: Justice: Timeshift - Crime and Punishment - The Story of Corporal Punishment
Spare the rod and spoil the child? Timeshift looks back to what the world was like before the rod was spared.
Read nowOU on the BBC: Justice: Timeshift - Crime and Punishment - The Story of Corporal PunishmentLevel: 1 Introductory
-
OU on the BBC: Justice: Justice with Michael Sandel
Michael Sandel takes a lively look at some of the moral questions surrounding our ideas of justice.
Read nowOU on the BBC: Justice: Justice with Michael SandelLevel: 1 Introductory
-
OU on the BBC: Justice: Fairness And The Big Society
Michael Sandel takes on the idea of fairness, and asks how it might apply to David Cameron's Big Society.
Read nowOU on the BBC: Justice: Fairness And The Big SocietyLevel: 1 Introductory
-
OU on the BBC: Justice: A Citizen's Guide To The 21st Century
Michael Sandel explores justice from a philosophical angle - are there absolute rights and wrongs, and what can Bentham, Kant and Aristotle teach us?
Read nowOU on the BBC: Justice: A Citizen's Guide To The 21st CenturyLevel: 1 Introductory
-
Justice Season on the BBC
Read more about the Justice Season on the BBC
Read moreJustice Season on the BBC
Newsletter
We invite you to discuss this subject, but remember this is a public forum.
Please be polite, and avoid your passions turning into contempt for others. We may delete posts that are rude or aggressive, or edit posts containing contact details or links to other websites.