Criminal courts are dependent upon the testimony of witnesses in order to fulfil their functions. However, research tells us that for many witnesses, particularly children and witnesses in cases involving serious and traumatic offences, giving testimony at trial is accompanied by a high risk of secondary victimisation. Growing public concern on the issue has triggered significant legal and policy changes across many common law systems to strengthen the protections afforded to vulnerable witnesses. Drawing on recent reforms in England and Wales, and taking into account shifts in international human rights discourse, this seminar explores the emergence of a growing international consensus around what vulnerable witnesses might legitimately expect in terms of how they give evidence at trial. Although there are grounds for optimism that such witnesses are now on the cusp of being able to exercise emergent rights hitherto denied to them, it is highly questionable whether such rights can be effectively safeguarded within structures and confines of the adversarial model of trial justice.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Jonathan Doak is Professor of Criminal Justice and Associate Dean for Research at Nottingham Law School, Nottingham Trent University. He completed his LLB and doctoral studies at Queen's University Belfast, and has previously taught at Durham University, the University of Sheffield and the University of Ulster.
Jonathan's main research interests lie in the broad fields of criminal justice and transitional justice. In particular, he has published widely on the rights of victims and survivors, restorative justice and evidential protections for vulnerable witnesses in criminal proceedings. He has considerable experience in working with law reform bodies and non-governmental organisations in seeking to improve the experiences of victims and witnesses who come into contact with the criminal justice system.
Currently Jonathan is conducting research into the various ways in which different legal orders have tended to conceptualise issues of reparation and reconciliation. He is also completing a book with David O'Mahony (Essex) on the ‘gap’ between restorative justice theory and practice.
Jonathan is the Editor of the International Journal of Evidence and Proof and serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Criminal Law, the British Journal of Community Justice, the Journal of Forensic Research and Crime Studies and the International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice.
*Please note that there will be no refund of any fees should the participant cancel the registration/ fail to attend the seminar. However, registration is transferable. Notice of any change in participant should be sent to the Academy via email: smulawacademy@smu.edu.sg, by
6 January 2019.
SMU School of Law reserves the right to cancel or postpone any event. In such case, we will arrange for the refund of seminar fees paid.
