Aura Mackintosh Bamber
Thesis Title: Are detainees in Scotland getting a fair trial? An interdisciplinary and empirical evaluation of the treatment of suspects in police custody in Scotland
This study, taking a socio-legal and psychological approach, examines the on-the-ground impact of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016 and whether its implementation is meeting the fair trial rights of suspects in police custody in Scotland. The research conducted will look at the legal, cultural and behavioural factors affecting the exercise of these custody rights and whether the procedural safeguards currently in place are sufficient to ensure that they apply in practice. Field work will involve observation of the custody environment, the approaches taken to interrogation, the characteristics of suspects and the impact of detention upon them and their decisions as well as those associated with the interrogation process such as solicitors, police and prosecutors.
The intended outcome is therefore to generate both quantitative and qualitative data to guide an inter-disciplinary understanding of how current legislation and the actors involved in the detention process influence suspects’ access to fair trial. This should in turn enable JUSTICE as the collaborator in this research, to locate any deficiencies in the current framework and influence policy reform to produce a framework that best safeguards the rights of suspects.
Biography
Aura Bamber is an Inner Temple Scholar and researcher with an interest in both the study and practice of law. Having previously written on issues of legislative reform and its encroachment into civil liberties, she is now conducting research, funded by the ESRC, looking to ensure protection for the rights of suspects and vulnerable persons in custody.
Publications
THE PERILS OF MAINTAINING THE STATUS QUO: Priti Patel’s ‘Silent, Law-Abiding Majority’ and The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill Junior Lawyers Against Poverty https://juniorlawyersagainstpoverty.org/leeds/the-perils-of-maintaining-the-status-quo/ Delay in Finding a Suitable Placement for a Young Adult with Prader-Willi Open Justice Court of Protection Project
Socio-Legal Studies
University of Warwick
2022 Cohort, 1+3
www.linkedin.com/in/aura-mackintosh-bamber
Supervisory Team
Jacqueline Hodgson
Kimberley Wade
Collaborator
Stephanie Needleman