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Dr Terry McGuinness

Terry McGuinness's PhD was an empirical study of coroners' background, attitudes and experiences in England and Wales (2023)

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Terry's doctoral thesis responds to a lack of research on coroners in England and Wales. With the support of the Chief Coroner, he and Professor Cheryl Thomas conducted the Coroner Attitude Survey 2020, the first major quantitive survey of the backgrounds, attitudes and experiences of all coroners in England and Wales.

It produced a detailed demographic profile of the coronership; discovered coroners' attitudes towards their role in the administration of justice; and allowed Terry to compare coroners' experiences of their working lives with those of other judges.

Terry's thesis argues that the coroner's court should be considered part of the system of administrative justice in England and Wales. He found that coroners are committed to their important and often difficult work, but that the structure, resources and legislation that shape the contemporary coroner service limit coroners' ability to provide accountability in practice as well as in theory.

Terry's doctoral research was supported by a research scholarship awarded by the Faculty of Laws at UCL.

Terry's thesis can be read here

Still the "forgotten"? An empirical study of coroners ‘background, attitudes and experiences in England and Wales