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Ethics, Communication and Testimony in Court2

Ética, Comunicação e Testemunho em Tribunal

Course code:8059331

Alexandre Luís de Matos Botica Cortes Quintas

Learning outcomes of the curricular unit:

At the end of the course students should be able to:

  • Identify the role of a forensic expert in the judicial decision
  • Characterize the aspects that determine the judicial decision
  • Define the core aspects of forensic expertise
  • Characterize the ethical aspects that determine the work of a forensic expert
  • Characterize the importance of expert testimony in court
  • Define good practice in providing the expert in court
  • Identify the functions of interpersonal communication and behavior change
  • Communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to diverse audiences, through oral and written presentation
  • Demonstrate communication skills and techniques that facilitate reliable testimony
  • Check the non-verbal communication in stressful situations
  • Use the power of argument in defence of testimony
  • Respect the importance of ethical principles and ethical conduct related to its code in different contexts (eg. research, expert evaluation, presentation of testimony in court and education)
Syllabus:
  1. The Functioning of the Justice System and the Judicial Decision
  2. Expert evidence, associated legal aspects
  3. Main aspects in carrying out a forensic examination
  4. The expert and his testimony: good practices
  5. Testimony in court as a process of interpersonal communication
  6. Non-verbal communication: human face; gestures and body postures; use of spaces and their symbology; proxemia and nonverbal communication; voice and psychosocial impact
  7. Strategies to manage stress and anxiety in potentially conflictive situations
  8. Communication aspects to take into account: personal testimony; and reconstitution of the crime scene; presentation of proof by recognition
  9. Communication and testimony process in court: guidelines and communication tool
  10. Qualities of expert witness testimony in court
  11. The codes of ethics of the professionals of the forensic and criminal sciences: code of ethics and specificities of the contexts of intervention; neutrality; confidentiality of data; forensic expertise and conflicts of interest; research, assumptions and ethical implications; protection of personal data
Suggested Bibliography:
  • Beauchamp TL & Childress JF (1989) Principles of Biomedical Ethics, Oxford: Oxford. ISBN-10: 0195335708
  • Jesus FM (2011) Meios de Obtenção da Prova em Processo Penal, Colecção Monografias, Coimbra: Almedina. ISBN: 9789724044286
  • Lazarus R (1999) Stress and emotion - a new synthesis, London: Free Association Books. ISBN: 9780826102614
  • Bowen T (2017) Ethics and the Practice of Forensic Science, 2nd ed.International Forensic Science and Investigation. New York: CRC Press. ISBN-13: 978-149877713
  • Bowers CM (2014) Forensic Testimony: Science, Law and Expert Evidence. Oxford: Academic Press. ISBN-13: 978-0123970053

 

 

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