This project fills a void of empirical information on expert evidence in Australia. This inter-state, multidisciplinary project involving academics from psychology and law aims to provide an evidence-based and comprehensive account of lawyers’ responses to expert evidence and information about expert witnesses’ experiences of giving evidence in criminal trials. By undertaking a comprehensive study of how the main protagonists in a criminal jury trial think about and understand expert evidence we may be able to identify the cause of any shortcomings in the criminal jury system. The project will focus on measures that translate into practical outcomes for policy reform, including the development of best practice guidelines for experts.
Investigators
- Dr Jacqueline Horan, University of Melbourne
- Dr Blake McKimmie, University of Queensland
- Professor Jane Goodman-Delahunty, Charles Sturt University
- Professor Ian Freckelton, Monash University
Funding
- Horan, J., Goodman-Delahunty, J., McKimmie, B. M., Freckelton, I. (2012). $60,000 over 2 years. The presentation of expert evidence in Australian criminal trials: The role of lawyers and experts. ARC Linkage Grant Scheme
- Horan, Goodman-Delahunty, Freckelton, Israel, & McKimmie. (2010). $185,000 over 2 years – Australian Jurors’ Perspectives on Expert Evidence. ARC Linkage Grant Scheme
Publications
- Freckelton, I., Delahunty, J., Horan, J., & McKimmie, B. M. (2016). Expert Evidence and Criminal Jury Trials. Oxford University Press.