Crime in the Intimate Sphere: Issues in Evidence
5-6 December 2019
Convenors: Dr Caitlin Goss, Dr Jason Chin and Prof Heather Douglas FASSA
Domestic and family violence (DFV) is a significant social issue in Australia. This workshop focused on a neglected aspect of the response to DFV: how to get the best evidence before the courts to help them appropriately prosecute crimes to promote safety in intimate relationships. Across two days, the workshop prompted interesting discussion about many aspects of the issue of evidence in DFV cases, and resulted in a range of suggestions:
- Providing training to expert witnesses to improve their ability to provide useful evidence in DFV cases
- Increasing opportunities for information exchange, for example by compiling resources useful to experts in this field
- The creation of a panel of experts who can give evidence in this area, given that finding experts to appear in DFV cases is often challenging
- Further research and collaboration, including a broader range of participants such as judges, lawyers, mock jurors, and potentially even survivors, to obtain a wide range of perspectives on what improvements are required to this area of the law and how they can be achieved.
READ the final workshop report HERE
READ the journal Current Issues in Criminal Justice Special Issue: Evidence in the Intimate Sphere relating to this workshop HERE