A Forum for Research, Consultation and Teaching Discipline
Centre for Freedom of Information (School of Law/Scottish Information Commission)
Discipline: Law
Who: Professor Alan Page
What: Research and teaching facility with various seminars running throughout the year
Since its inauguration at Dundee University in January 2009, the Centre for Freedom of Information has established itself as a cutting-edge research facility through its diverse and multi-faceted activities. Co-directed between Professor Alan Page, Dean of the Law School, and Kevin Dunion, the Scottish Information Commissioner, the Centre offers knowledge exchange in a variety of forms. Its highly successful seminar series attracts lawyers, practitioners, and regulators, drawing in more than 500 delegates from as far afield as Sweden and Hungary in its first year. Its 2011 series begins this autumn with seminars on 7th September and 19th October relating to current and emerging issues around FoI. The LLM module in Freedom of Information will be returning for its second consecutive year, providing students with an advanced and critical understanding of legal regimes around the availability of public information in Scotland. With both academic and legal practitioner insights, this course provides students with an interdisciplinary and thorough knowledge of issues and practice regarding Freedom of Information.
Scientific Evidence in the Courtroom: Fit for Purpose in the Digital & Global Age?
Discipline: Law
Who: Professors Pamela Ferguson & Fiona Raitt
What: Series of workshops focusing on issues relating to use of scientific evidence in the courtroom
A project entitled ‘Scots Law of Evidence – Fit for Purpose in the Digital and Global Age?’ involves two Law Professors from Dundee, as well as involving the expertise of Life Scientist Professor Sue Black. This project examines the rules of admissibility of forensic evidence in court, including the ethical implications of their usage, and assesses their fitness for purpose in the 21st century. By harnessing the expertise of academics in law, forensic statistics, anatomy and psychology, and of the police services, judiciary and practicing lawyers, this project aims to establish how the courts can practically determine the reliability of scientific evidence, and consider how they ought to do so. Two multiple-day workshops for this project, inviting experts from multiple fields of research and practice, have already been held to this end. A principled framework to govern what constitutes admissible scientific evidence to satisfy the concerns of both scientist and legal practitioner, whilst bearing in mind the human rights of the accused, is expected to be the lasting result of this project, thus providing the initiative with tangible IMPACT.