The mosaic art?: cross-examination and the vulnerable witness 1
The mosaic art?: cross-examination and the vulnerable witness 1
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马赛克艺术？：盘问和弱势证人 1
作者：
Louise Ellison
在普通法传统中，交叉询问被称赞为揭露证词不足的权威法医手段。然而，对刑事审判程序的受害者学研究显示，盘问在多大程度上被用作羞辱、恐吓和迷惑对方证人的工具。儿童和那些有学习障碍的人面临着特殊的困难，因为在交叉询问中很少提及他们的特殊交流需求。本文回顾了质证员系统地破坏语言能力有限的人的可信度所采用的策略和技巧。然而，本文的主要目的是证明，对于易受伤害的证人所面临的问题，所谓的调解方法存在重大局限性，因此，在既定的审判框架内寻求和制定“解决办法”。这种做法忽视了对手优势的本质，以及在对抗性审判制度下有效监管法庭提问的强大结构性障碍。
Cross-examination is lauded within the common law tradition as the definitive forensic device for exposing testimonial infirmity. Victimological study of criminal trial proceedings has, however, revealed the extent to which cross-examination is used as a tool to humiliate, intimidate and confuse opposing witnesses. Particular difficulties confront children and those with learning disabilities as little reference is made during cross-examination to their special communicative needs. This paper reviews the tactics and techniques employed by cross-examiners to systematically destroy the credibility of those with limited language capability. The main aim of the paper is, however, to demonstrate the significant limitations of what may be termed an accommodation approach to the problems facing vulnerable witnesses, whereby ‘solutions’ are sought and crafted within the established trial framework. Such an approach ignores the very nature of adversary advacacy and the potent structural barriers to effective regulation of courtroom questioning within an adversarial system of trial.