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This Unit is archived with an end date of 15/04/2025

Overview

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Academic contacts

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Offerings

MURDOCH-W-ONLINESCHD-2025-ONGOING

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Enrolment rules

Unit coordinator may permit enrolment without completion of prerequisites.

Other learning activities

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Learning activities

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Learning outcomes

1.

Identify and discuss the limitations on investigative procedures as they relate to people, science and the law.

2.

Analyse and critique the limitations on investigative procedures with regards to the impact on the provision of justice.

3.

Reflect on real-life case studies and information from experts to develop strategies to avoid the miscarriage of justice in the future.

Assessments

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Additional information

Unit content:

In Week 1 the major causes of miscarriages of justice are addressed in a series of lectures and the principles are illustrated with films and documentaries of actual cases. Small groups of students (3-4) are then assigned a specific case to analyse and during Weeks 2 and 3 (no contact weeks) each group generates a 12-15 minute PowerPoint presentation of the assigned case, comprehensive of case background, critique of the case, highlighting the inadequacies, describing the outcomes, explaining why the errors occurred and how they could have been prevented. The PowerPoint presentation is delivered to the entire class in Weeks 4. The causal factors that will be discussed and illustrated in the unit include: · law Enforcement bias or misconduct; · incorrect identification of the suspect; · false or misleading forensic testimony; · misrepresented evidence; · false Confessions (induced or invented); · false testimony; · ineffective or incompetent (or too competent) defence counsel; · prosecutorial misconduct. LECTURES: 1. wrongful convictions due to predisposing circumstances; 2. wrongful convictions due to tunnel vision and incorrect eyewitness id; 3. wrongful convictions due to reasonable doubt and scientific incompetency. 4. Invited speakers will discuss their experience in the forensic field. All the lectures are supported by films and documentaries