UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 18 OCTOBER 2016
Senior Lecturer in Law, Dr. Sarah Cooper, has been invited to be a Scholar in Residence at the Law Library of Congress in Washington D.C., in 2017.
Whilst in Residence, Dr. Cooper will be undertaking research for her new book – Forensic Science in America’s Era of Innocence. The book, which is scheduled to be published in 2018, will examine how cultural tensions between the enterprises of law and science emerge when the criminal justice system uses certain forensic science disciplines to help solve crime. The book will, in particular, discuss how the American Innocence Movement brought these tensions into sharper focus, and consider current and future initiatives for improving the relationship between law and science at this intersection.
Dr. Cooper is the Director of the School of Law’s newest research centre, ‘The Centre for Law, Science, and Policy’ and a founding member of the Centre for American Legal Studies. She teaches English Criminal Law, American Criminal Procedure and Evidence, and directs the school’s United States internship programme. She says the book will enhance the studies of many law students at Birmingham City University,
“The topic area of the book directly relates to classes students undertake on the American Legal Studies pathway on our LL.B programme. In particular, students studying American Legal Practice and American Criminal Procedure and Evidence will engage in the famous cases and legal principles examined in the book.”
Dr. Cooper is also leading efforts at Birmingham City University to generate more knowledge about how jurors interpret forensic science evidence in criminal cases,
“Something I’m really interested in is how jurors interpret forensic science evidence in court. Generating more knowledge about this subject is key to finding ways to help the criminal justice system facilitate the use of more reliable scientific evidence. To that end, I’m currently working with Dr. Paraic Scanlon in the Psychology Department, to undertake a mock juror study which aims to further understand the level of certainty lay people attach to certain common phrases used by forensic science experts.”
Dr. Cooper and Dr. Scanlon will invite students in the School of Law and School of Social Sciences to assist in the review of their study data, and will publish their findings in 2017/18.