Innocence Lost

Every teacher and lecturer is at risk of facing a malicious allegation. And once an educator is falsely accused or subject to a prosecution their career is blighted. Inference of guilt effectively ends their career in education and the enhanced disclosure the law imposes undermines opportunities to find an alternative vocation. The teachers are punished by society even when they are totally innocent. Innocence Lostexamines the alarming rise in Britian of malicious allegations against educators and provides an objective appraisal of the legislative and civil law framework that allows this to happen. The policies of the new coalition government are contrasted with the previous administration, pointing up changes in the UK political landscape and presenting a debate about an important area of social and professional policy that academic theorists have, remarkably, chosen to ignore. A chapter is devoted to comparisons with the situation in the US. Combining authoritative legal analysis with excellent professional advice, the book is designed for those finding themselves facing a malicious allegation, and will be an important resource for anyone interested in the area of social, political and legal policy and social justice. It will be indispensable for legal researchers, teaching unions, providers of teacher training, and personnel departments in schools and colleges. The practical legal guidance will help readers negotiate through a maze of procedures, courts and legal issues and the powerful analysis of social injustice will be of interest to a range of social policy groups and students.