Police retention and storage of evidence in England and Wales
Police retention and storage of evidence in England and Wales
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英格兰和威尔士警方保留和储存证据
DOI：
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发表时间：
2020
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
L. Shorter
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
C. McCartney;L. Shorter
上诉制度运作的核心是，声称自己的定罪是错误的个人有能力重新审查和重新审查在调查期间收集的证据以及审判时所依赖的证据。备受瞩目的司法不公往往只有在辩方在定罪后能够接触到材料的情况下才能得到补救。部队还必须在没有发现或定罪的肇事者的调查中保留证据，以便进行严酷的案件审查。为了使上诉制度生效，并使悬案复审成为可能，证据需要保留和妥善储存。如果材料没有被正确地保留和储存，那么重新调查是不可能的。对于可能需要进行法医检查的实物材料，保留尤为重要。随着科学技术的进步和对结果的解释，保留这些物理材料(现在通常是数字材料)以供未来(重新)评估是至关重要的。通过分析对英格兰和威尔士所有警察部队的信息自由请求的回应，以及对刑事司法利益相关者的定性采访，本文审查了材料的保留和存储，并考虑了法医档案有限公司的运营和未来。它详细描述了一幅令人担忧的不一致的图景，对应该保留什么以及如何保留感到困惑。它的结论是，正义要求我们承认，适当地保留和储存材料对我们的刑事司法系统的公平和有效运作至关重要，并确保上诉法院能够履行其处理错误定罪的职责，并确保部队能够在悬而未决的案件中伸张正义。
Central to the operation of the appellate system, is the ability of individuals who claim that their conviction is in error, to revisit and re-examine evidence gathered during the investigation, as well as that relied upon at their trial. High-profile miscarriages of justice have often only been remedied when there has been defence access to materials post conviction. There is also an imperative for forces to retain evidence in investigations in which no perpetrator has been detected or convicted, to facilitate cold case reviews. In order to give effect then to an appellate system and enable cold case reviews, evidence needs to be retained and properly stored. If materials are not retained and stored correctly, then re-investigations are rendered impossible. Retention is especially critical in respect of physical materials that could be subject to forensic examination. With the progress of science and technology, and the interpretation of results, it is essential that such physical (and now, often digital) materials are retained for future (re)evaluation. From analysis of responses to a Freedom of Information request to all police forces in England and Wales, and qualitative interviews with criminal justice stakeholders, this article examines the retention and storage of materials, and considers the operation and future of the Forensic Archive Ltd. It details a worrying picture of inconsistency, with confusion over what should be retained, and how. It concludes that justice demands that we accept that the proper retention and storage of materials is fundamental to the fair and effective operation of our criminal justice system, and ensures that the Court of Appeal can fulfil its remit in addressing wrongful convictions and forces can pursue justice in cold cases.