Voicing loss: Meanings and implications of participation by bereaved people in inquests

失声：失去亲人的人参与调查的意义和影响

• 批准号: ES/V002732/1
• 负责人: Jessica Jacobson
• 金额: $ 99.48万
• 依托单位: Birkbeck, University of London
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2021 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=ES%2FV002732%2F1
• 关键词: Voicing; loss; Meanings; implications; participation

Context of the researchCoroners are independent judicial office holders appointed by the local authority. Over 40% of registered deaths in England and Wales are typically reported to the coroner each year, of which around 12-16% (amounting to nearly 30,000 deaths in 2018) become the subject of a coroner's inquest. The purpose of the inquest - an inquisitorial hearing almost always held in public - is to determine who died and when, where and how the death occurred, in cases where the death was violent, unnatural, unexplained, or took place in custody or other form of state detention. Close family of the deceased can attend the inquest as 'interested persons'. This gives them the right to question witnesses (either directly or through a legal representative) and to ask to see evidence in advance of the hearing. However, the limited empirical research conducted to date on coroners' courts suggests that, in practice, bereaved people have an uncertain and ambiguous role and status in the inquest, and receive highly variable treatment. This is notwithstanding the repeated assertion by government and both the current and prior Chief Coroner that bereaved families should be 'at the heart of' the coronial process, and reforms having been instituted in support of this broad goal, most notably under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009. Aims and objectivesIn light of the apparent divergence between policy goals and empirical realities, we are proposing to investigate what it means - in theory and practice - for bereaved people to be 'at the heart of' inquest proceedings. We will examine bereaved family members' understandings, expectations and experiences of inquests, and the legal and policy framework within which coroners' courts operate. We will identify and assess contrasting justifications for bereaved people's inclusion and involvement in inquest proceedings, and consider any tensions or contradictions between different functions - such as the administrative, preventive and therapeutic - of the coronial process. On this basis, we will propose answers to the questions of whether bereaved people should indeed be 'at the heart of' the coronial process and have an active role in inquests; and, if so, for what purposes and in what ways. We will, further, explore the implications of these findings for policy and practice, and devise recommendations for reform.The research activities will encompass a policy review, empirical investigation, conceptual and normative analysis, and extensive stakeholder engagement. The main empirical component will entail gathering personal accounts from individuals who have been bereaved in a range of circumstances. In one-to-one interviews and written accounts and at Family Listening Days (to be run by the charity INQUEST), research participants will be invited to reflect on their expectations and experiences of the inquest with respect to its outcome, the way it was conducted, the support or assistance they received, the part they played in proceedings, and whether and how attending the inquest impacted their grieving. Potential applications and benefitsThe research and analysis will provide rich insights into the empirical and policy phenomena under study, while also refining the theoretical perspectives typically brought to bear on these issues. In close collaboration with lay, practitioner and policy stakeholders, we will draw out the practical applications of the findings: identifying what kinds of policy and practice changes could support the inclusion and involvement of bereaved people in inquests in ways that are viable, appropriate and attuned to their own expectations. In so doing, we will also consider the implications for other kinds of legal proceedings (including public inquiries and criminal prosecutions) which are concerned with deaths and involve bereaved people.

研究背景验尸官是由地方当局任命的独立司法官员。在英格兰和威尔士，每年有超过40%的登记死亡通常会报告给验尸官，其中约12-16%（2018年死亡人数接近30，000人）成为验尸官调查的对象。调查的目的--调查听证会几乎总是公开举行--是为了确定谁死亡以及死亡发生的时间、地点和方式，如果死亡是暴力、非自然、无法解释的，或者是在拘留期间发生的。或其他形式的国家拘留。死者的近亲可以作为“感兴趣的人”参加研讯。这使他们有权（直接或通过法律的代表）询问证人，并要求在听证会之前查看证据。然而，迄今为止对死因裁判法院进行的有限的实证研究表明，在实践中，丧失亲人的人在调查中的作用和地位不确定，也不明确，而且得到的待遇差别很大。尽管政府以及现任和前任首席验尸官一再声称，死者家属应该是验尸过程的"核心“，而且已经为支持这一广泛目标进行了改革，特别是根据2009年《验尸官和司法法》。目的和目标鉴于政策目标和经验现实之间存在明显的分歧，我们建议调查丧亲之痛的人在理论和实践上成为研讯程序的"核心“意味着什么。我们将探讨死者家属对研讯的理解、期望和经验，以及死因裁判法庭运作的法律的和政策框架。我们将确定和评估丧亲之痛的人的包容和参与研讯程序的对比的理由，并考虑不同的功能之间的任何紧张关系或矛盾-如行政，预防和治疗-的验尸过程。在此基础上，我们将提出答案的问题，是否丧亲之痛的人确实应该是“在”的心脏冠状程序，并在研讯中发挥积极作用;如果是这样，为了什么目的，以什么方式。我们将进一步探讨这些研究结果对政策和实践的影响，并为改革提出建议。研究活动将包括政策审查、实证调查、概念和规范分析以及广泛的利益相关者参与。主要的经验部分将需要收集在各种情况下丧失亲人的个人的个人陈述。在一对一的访谈和书面陈述以及家庭倾听日（由慈善机构INQUEST运行）中，研究参与者将被邀请反思他们对调查结果的期望和经验，进行方式，他们获得的支持或援助，他们在诉讼中扮演的角色，以及参加调查是否以及如何影响他们的悲伤。潜在的应用和好处研究和分析将提供丰富的见解，研究中的经验和政策现象，同时也细化了理论观点通常带来的负担这些问题。在与外行，从业者和政策利益相关者的密切合作，我们将绘制出调查结果的实际应用：确定什么样的政策和实践的变化可以支持的方式是可行的，适当的，并适应自己的期望丧亲之痛的人在研讯的包容和参与。同时，我们亦会考虑对其他涉及死亡个案及死者家属的法律的程序（包括公开研讯及刑事检控）的影响。

项目成果

How well do Regulation 28 reports serve future public health and safety?

• DOI: 10.1177/0025802420987431
• 发表时间: 2021-01-20
• 期刊: MEDICINE SCIENCE AND THE LAW
• 影响因子: 1.5
• 作者: Fox, Anthony W.;Jacobson, Jessica
• 通讯作者: Jacobson, Jessica