Effective Preparation For Examining A Pathologist In A Homicide Case
Introduction
In 2008, the government of the province of Ontario (Canada) established a Commission tasked with ‘The Inquiry Into Pediatric Forensic Pathology in Ontario’: The Inquiry’s mandate was to conduct a systematic review and an assessment of the policies, procedures, practices, accountability and oversight mechanisms, quality control measures, and institutional arrangements of pediatric forensic pathology in Ontario from 1981 to 2001 as they relate to its practice and use in investigations and criminal proceedings. The Commissioner was asked to make recommendations to address systemic failings and restore and enhance public confidence in pediatric forensic pathology in Ontario.
The Goudge Inquiry [Stephen Goudge was the appointed Commissioner] was made necessary by the revelation that a physician who had been conducting pediatric autopsies in the province had been providing opinions based on reported findings that, in several cases that when reviewed, proved unsustainable. A succinct example, discussed in the archives related to the Inquiry, was a case in...