5.2.6.4  The Need for an Appeals Process

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However carefully judges are appointed and cases are heard, there will be miscarriages of justice.  The appeals process is a safeguard to protect people, whereby different and more senior judges can either confirm or overturn the decisions of lower courts.  Further safeguards are available by escalating cases to multinational courts, such as the European Court of Justice (5.3.5.2), or to global bodies such as the International Court of Justice (5.3.6.2).  The availability of an appeals process both reduces the likelihood of miscarriages of justice and increases people’s confidence in the system as a whole.

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