Pacific Coroners’ Society

ASIA PACIFIC CORONERS’ SOCIETY CONFERENCE 2012Silent Witnesses: The place of the coronial system in a civilisedsociety | 20 - 23 NovemberConference Program & Speakers | Friday 23 November 20129.30am | What you get is not necessarily what yousee: Eyewitness memory Dr Helen PatersonLecturer in Forensic Psychology, The University of SydneyA/Professor Richard Kemp Senior Lecturer in ForensicPsychology, University of New South WalesEyewitness testimony is oftenused in court and is one of themost persuasive forms of evidencefor juries. Given the pivotal rolethat eyewitnesses play in trials,it is important to establish whetheror not the juror’s and / or judge’sfaith in these testimonies is warranted. While most of us assumethat our memories of personally witnessed events areaccurate and reliable, this is often not the case.Many psychologists argue thateyewitness memory is not asreliable as the layperson maybelieve. Participants in thispresentation will take part inactivities designed to illustrate thedifficulties faced by eyewitnesseswhich can result in poor reliability of their evidence. We willsummarise psychological research of factors influencingeyewitness testimony to help participants understand thelimitations and vulnerabilities of eyewitness evidence.10.15am | Risk, Mistakes & Safety: The human dimensionProfessor Wendy Hu Professor of Medical Education,School of Medicine, University of Western SydneyMr Steve Linnegar Executive General Manager, Lend LeaseUncertainty and mistakes are anormal part of the human conditionbut can lead to catastrophe. Thissession will focus on problems ofrisk, uncertainty, mistakes and thesystematic problems of protectingourselves from ourselves. The science of “human factors” hasgrown up around the issues of human error, systems failuresand building protections against them into our procedures incomplex and risky activities such as the construction industry,medicine and aviation.Those working in the coronialjurisdiction see the results ofcatastrophic failures. Can we helpprevent them? Professor Wendy Huwill speak on the challenges ofmedical diagnosis and how theyplay out in practice. Mr Steve Linnegar will speak on thepractical means of building a real safety culture in dangerousenvironments.511.45am | Programs in Prison: Pups and Art - Preventingdeaths in custody. A Corrective Services NSW PerspectiveMr Bill Fittler General Manager, Bathurst Correctional CentreThe Pups in Prison program beganas a way for Assistance DogsAustralia to train more guide dogsfor physically disabled people. Thescheme has also proved to reducere-offending behaviour, by givingprisoners skills to assist in theirown rehabilitation.This session will present an overview of statistics and factorsin deaths in custody and the innovative programs beingimplemented to address suicide ideation, therapeutic needs,recidivism and Aboriginal programs.