‘Locks Off’ is more than just word play on a term which can be related to the wrongful imprisonment of someone for a crime they haven’t committed. There are cases where a person’s appearance has been used to stimulate extreme prejudice against them both in the media and in the dock.

The most obvious case from those that Wrongly Accused Person is involved with is Luke Mitchell’s. He was portrayed in both the press and the court as some sort of evil devil worshipper in part due to things like hairstyle and choice of clothing. In reality these styles were nothing out of the ordinary for a teenage boy and demonstrate nothing more than how acceptable it is, even now, for discrimination to exist within the justice system. His case is also relevant in another way. Had Wrongly Accused Person existed as a charity earlier, we could have covered the cost of forensic testing that could have shown his innocence until the funding dispute between the legal aid board and others was resolved. That is one of the many reasons why fund raising is so important for what we do. You can read more about Luke’s case here – Luke Mitchell is Innocent.

Stereotyping is being used to achieve wrongful convictions on a routine basis and so the annual Locks Off fund raising event signifies awareness of this by those taking part adopting the stereotypical shaven head often associated with a prisoner’s appearance.

This was first done by Billy in 2010 to help raise funds so that someone could have the representation of a barrister he trusted. See proof here – LOCKS OFF

There are three ways you can help us raise funds with the annual Locks Off event which takes place on the 30^th July (or the nearest Saturday).

1. You can volunteer yourself and be sponsored to have your own ‘Locks Off’

   We’ll need a recent picture you are happy for us to post it online so people  can see who is taking part. If you’re brave enough to go without a hair cut until 30 th July and think you can raise enough in sponsorship to justify the sacrifice, simply contact us using the page above and we’ll let you know where to e-mail your photo and postal address. We’ll then send you a sponsor form along with a copy of our constitution and a covering letter so that you can demonstrate if asked that it is a fund raising event for a registered charity.

2. You can get a sponsorship form and help raise funds either on behalf of someone who is taking part or the event in general. All you need do is e-mail a small passport sized photo which we can attach to a covering letter for you to carry with you which we will send to your postal address along with the sponsor forms and a copy of our constitution.
3. You can simply donate using the Paypal button below which includes the ‘Locks Off’ reference code.

Even if you can’t do any of these things you can still help raise both funds and awareness by sharing a link to the website with your family and friends and encouraging people to join our cause. You can follow the event and see details of anyone else taking part in this year’s Locks Off here – LOCKS OFF 2011 and we will publish a ‘Hall of Fame’ page as soon as possible after it is complete.