Expertise in Context

Those members of IAFPA who have worked within both the adversarial and the inquisitorial systems of justice will have noted striking differences influencing not only courtroom testimony but the entire handling of a case. This year’s Special Session will focus on the implications of the judicial framework on forensic phonetic practice. It specifically addresses the role of the (voice) expert within the inquisitorial judicial framework. Since the majority of IAFPA members in general and conference participants in particular come from an adversarial background, they may not fully appreciate the ramifications of working within the inquisitorial system. This, however, has consequences for the role of the expert and, to some extent, even for the manner in which the work is carried out.

The session will cover some principles of the inquisitorial framework and the role of experts within it. We have gained two speakers who represent recipients of expert reports. One is Dr. Matthias Quarch, a presiding judge of a Grand Trial Chamber (Große Strafkammer) at the Regional Courts of Law in Aachen, the other is Prof. Jan Bockemühl (Regensburg), an experienced defense lawyer and Honorary Professor at the University of Regensburg. Both will outline their expectations of what they consider a good expert and their criteria for a good report. Prof. Ruth Huntley Bahr (University of South Florida) and Prof. Dr. Angelika Braun (Trier University), who are both looking back at decades of forensic experience, will then in short lightening talks focus on the expert testimony in the US and the Expert testimony across jurisdictions, respectively. The four experts will then join a panel discussion about the role of voice experts in the two judicial frameworks and the consequences thereof for their everyday work.