Mothers for Justice?: Gender and Campaigns against Miscarriages of Justice

Miscarriages of justice are often only exposed through the extra-judicial activities of parties determined to fight for a particular cause, involving those closest to victims of miscarriages of justice. This paper examines the role of women, and particularly of mothers, in such justice campaigns and the extent to which there is a gendered dimension to campaigns against injustice. Based on interviews with those closely associated with justice campaigns, the paper argues that women tend to occupy a special, powerful place in campaigns against miscarriages of justice, one interwoven with familial relationships. The paper proceeds to relate this ‘special’ place to differential processes of grieving and the dynamics of women's engagement with protest and campaigning more generally.