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

研究背景验尸官是由地方当局任命的独立司法官员。英格兰和威尔士每年登记的死亡人数中有40%以上通常是向验尸官报告的，其中约12%-16%(2018年死亡人数接近3万人)成为验尸官调查的对象。研讯的目的--几乎总是公开举行的研讯听证会--是为了确定谁死了，以及死亡发生的时间、地点和方式，如果死亡是暴力的、非自然的、原因不明的，或者是在拘留或其他形式的国家拘留中发生的。死者的近亲可作为“有利害关系的人”出席研讯。这使他们有权(直接或通过法律代表)询问证人，并在听证之前要求查看证据。然而，迄今为止对死因裁判官法庭进行的有限的实证研究表明，在实践中，丧失亲人的人在死因研讯中的角色和地位是不确定和模棱两可的，并且得到的待遇差异很大。尽管政府以及现任和前任首席验尸官一再断言，失去亲人的家庭应该是验尸过程的核心，而且已经为支持这一广泛目标而进行了改革，最明显的是根据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的明显分歧，我们提议调查在理论和实践中，对于丧失亲人的人来说，处于死因调查程序的核心意味着什么。我们会研究死者家属对死因研讯的理解、期望和经验，以及死因裁判法庭运作的法律和政策架构。我们将找出和评估不同的理由，以支持死亡者纳入和参与死因研讯程序，并考虑死因裁判程序不同职能之间的任何矛盾或矛盾--例如行政、预防和治疗。在此基础上，我们将就以下问题提出答案：死者是否真的应该处于验尸过程的核心，并在死因研讯中发挥积极作用；如果应该，目的是什么，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，并提出改革建议。研究活动将包括政策审查、实证调查、概念和规范分析以及利益攸关方的广泛参与。主要的经验部分将需要收集在各种情况下失去亲人的个人的个人账户。在一对一的访谈和书面陈述中，以及在家庭聆听日(由慈善研讯举办)，研究参与者将被邀请反思他们对研讯结果的期望和经历、研讯的进行方式、他们得到的支持或帮助、他们在研讯中所扮演的角色，以及参加研讯是否和如何影响他们的悲痛。潜在的应用和好处研究和分析将为正在研究的经验和政策现象提供丰富的见解，同时也提炼通常对这些问题产生的理论观点。我们会与业外人士、从业员和政策持份者紧密合作，研究结果的实际应用：找出哪些政策和做法上的改变，可以支持丧亲人士以可行、适当和符合其期望的方式参与研讯。在进行这项工作时，我们亦会考虑对其他涉及死者死亡和涉及丧亲人士的法律程序(包括公开研讯和刑事检控)的影响。

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.