Truth on Trial: Experts, Evidence and Justice

Timetable

Fridays 1.30 pm - 3.00 pm, 

Module aim (aims)

- to familiarise students with the basic issues of expertise and expert witnesses in the Polish justice system

- to present the principles of establishing expert witnesses in Poland

- to introduce to the students the principles of preparing an expert opinion and the assessment of expert evidence by the court

- to acquaint students with the basic expertises carried out in the course of judicial proceedings

Pre-requisites in terms of knowledge, skills and social competences (where relevant)

none

Syllabus

Week 1-2: Basic concepts relating to expertise and experts

Week 3-4: Establishment of expert witnesses in the Polish judiciary

Week 5-6: Methodology for the expert's report

Week 7: Evaluation of expert evidence by the court

Week 8-15: Issues relating to selected forensic and non-forensic expertise: dactyloscopic, biological traces, traseological and mechanoscopic, ballistic, handwriting examinations, psychological and psychiatric, information technology, toxicological and alcoholological, osmological and variographical

Specific:

1. Learning effects:

 Having completed the course, the student is able to:

- define basic terms relating to forensic expertise

- define the rules for appointing forensic experts in Poland

- determine the rules for the preparation of an expert report in the course of legal proceedings

- indicate the criteria for assessing expert evidence

- distinguish between individual forensic and non-forensic expert opinions, and indicate the basis on which they are carried out

 2. Understanding information:

Having completed the course, the student is able to:

- distinguish between the rules on the appointment of experts in the various court procedures

- indicate the differences between the rules for appointing expert witnesses in Poland and in other EU countries

- distinguish the various stages in the assessment of expert evidence by the court

- distinguish between individual forensic and non-forensic expert opinions

 3. Using information in typical situation:

Having completed the course, the student is able to:

- indicate the principles for establishing an expert witness in a specific court case

- apply the criteria for assessing expert evidence in a specific court case

- propose the type of opinion and the speciality of the expert in the specific court case

 4. Using information in problematic situation:

Having completed the course, the student is able to:

- propose how the opinion should be carried out in a given case

- analyse the feasibility of assessing expert evidence in a specific case

- propose a way of resolving the case, taking into account the special knowledge required

Reading list

 

1. Anderson P., R., Winfree L. T. Jr.,(1987), Expertt Witnesses. Criminologist in the Courtroom. State University of New York Press.
2. Dwyer, D. (2008). The Judicial Assessment of Expert Evidence. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
3. Saferstein R., (2014), Criminalistics. An Introduction to Ferencis Science. Pearson Education Limited.