Conceptualising and identifying vulnerability and interpreting the appropriate adult safeguard

尽管适当成年人(AA)的作用最初是通过《警察和证据法》通过其业务守则引入的(内政部，1984；Nemitz和Bean，2001)，但数十年的研究表明，这一角色被严重误解，使得在英格兰和威尔士的实施不一致(Jessiman和Cameron，2017)。通过心理学和法律话语对AA功能进行了研究，一致认为易受伤害的成年人，即那些被确定为18岁以上被拘留的易受伤害的人，由于误解了速度，误解了脆弱性，从而错过了对易受伤害的人的检测，从而使他们没有AA保障(Nemitz和Bean，2001)。通过使用混合方法，该研究将比现有的文献更深入，后者在其范围和现实世界的应用方面可能受到限制，过去的AA研究过于关注监护记录的检查或审查面谈录音，可能是因为更容易获得。然而，关键是要更清楚地了解AA的作用及其对易受攻击嫌疑人的影响，并使用定量和定性研究来实现这一点。目前，我正在完成我的法医心理学硕士学位，我的论文主题是AAS，我目前正在研究对脆弱性的感知，以及警察和AAS在支持在押的脆弱嫌疑人方面所做的干预。我的硕士研究采用混合方法，使用定量调查，包括小插曲，以及通过反身性归纳主题分析分析的半结构化定性访谈，进一步探索对脆弱性的感知以及它们可能如何影响官员和AA在拘留期间做出的对脆弱嫌疑人有利或不利的决定。对于拟议的研究和博士机会，我的目标是通过使用Qualtrics(www.qualtrics.com)以类似的方式构建定量研究，因为它允许完全定制调查，如何向参与者显示问题，以及它易于将数据导出到SPSS中，用于数据清理和分析包括相关参数和非参数检验以及对新建调查的信度和效度检验。使用Qualtrics也非常有益，因为调查很容易传播。我目前和以前都采用了远程访问参与者的方法，例如在微软团队中，或者通过电话，因为我发现这对我的参与者来说是一种普遍有利的方法，他们通过戒酒助理或警官的职责有一份要求很高的工作，类似的方法可能对当前的研究也有好处。在这项研究中使用建构主义扎根理论，使传播研究的读者能够充分理解数据被查看和分析的视角，访谈和数据的意义将在我和参与者之间共同创造(Mills，Bonner和Francis，2006)。在这个项目完成后，我希望向监管官员、AA和全国其他关键利益攸关方提供对脆弱性的最新理解。根据这项研究的结果，可能需要进行政策改革，以便就如何通过修正PACE和目前的脆弱性阈值测试来评估在押期间的脆弱性提供更明确、更易于理解的指导。我渴望将调查结果传播给所有警察部队和戒酒协会计划，重新参与有关脆弱性的讨论，并确保有需要的人总是可以获得戒酒协会的帮助。

Although the role of the Appropriate Adult (AA), first introduced via the Police and Evidence Act through its Codes of practice (Home Office, 1984; Nemitz and Bean, 2001), is an essential mechanism within our Criminal Justice System (CJS), decades of research highlight the role is critically misunderstood, making implementation inconsistent through England and Wales (Jessiman and Cameron, 2017). The AA function has been investigated through psychology and law discourse, with a consensus that vulnerable adults, those identified as vulnerable in custody over the age of 18, are continuously disadvantaged as a result of misinterpreting PACE, misunderstanding vulnerability and thus missing the detection of vulnerable persons, leaving them with no AA safeguard (Nemitz and Bean, 2001).Through use of mixed methods, the study will go further than existing literature which can be limited in their scope and real-world application, past AA research being too concerned with the inspection of custody records or reviewing the interview tapes, perhaps due to easier access. However, it is crucial to gain a clearer picture of the AA role and its implication for vulnerable suspects and employing both quantitative and qualitative research allows for this. Currently, I am finishing my Master's degree in Forensic Psychology, my dissertation subject of choice being AAs, I am currently researching the perceptions of vulnerability, and interventions made by Police Officers and AAs in supporting vulnerable suspects at custody. My Masters research employs a mixed methods approach, using quantitative surveys, including vignettes, and semi structured qualitative interviews analysed through reflexive inductive thematic analysis, exploring further the perceptions of vulnerability and how they may influence the decisions officers and AA's make at custody to the advantage, or disadvantage of the vulnerable suspect.For the proposed study and PHD opportunity, I would aim to construct the quantitative research in a similar way, through use of Qualtrics (www.qualtrics.com) as it allows for full customisation of the survey, how the questions are displayed to participants, and for its ease of exporting the data into SPSS, for data cleaning and analysis, including relevant parametric and nonparametric tests and tests of reliability and validity on the newly built survey. Using Qualtrics is also highly beneficial in that the survey is easy to disseminate. I have currently, and previously, employed remote methods of interviewing participants, such as on Microsoft teams, or via telephone, as I have found this a generally favourable approach for my participants, who have a demanding job through their AA or Police officer duties, and similar approaches may be beneficial for the current study too. Using Constructionist Grounded Theory in this study, allow the reader of the disseminated research to fully appreciate the lens in which data was viewed, and analysed, and meaning of the interviews and data will be cocreated between myself and participants (Mills, Bonner and Francis, 2006).On completion of this project, I would hope to provide an updated understanding to vulnerability to custody officers, AAs, and other key stakeholders nationwide. Based on the results of the study there will likely be a need for policy reform, allowing for a clearer, more digestible guidance on how to assess vulnerability at custody through amendments to PACE and the current vulnerability threshold test. I would aspire to disseminate findings to all police forces and AA schemes, to reengage in the conversation about vulnerability, and making sure those who need it, always have access to an AA.