Between epistemic injustice and therapeutic jurisprudence: coronial processes involving families of autistic people, people with learning disabilities and/or mental ill health

Ryan, Sara ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7406-1610, Ribenfors, Francesca ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5012-4816, Mikulak, Magdalena and Coles, Deborah (2024) Between epistemic injustice and therapeutic jurisprudence: coronial processes involving families of autistic people, people with learning disabilities and/or mental ill health. Sociology of Health and Illness. ISSN 0141-9889

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Abstract

Understanding how and why someone dies unexpectedly is key to bereaved family members. The coronial process in England investigates instances where the cause of death is unknown, violent or unnatural and/or occurred in state detention. Families are held to be at the centre of this process and the coroner's role has extended to concern about therapeutic jurisprudence, that is, how legal processes can minimise negative consequences for participants without jeopardising due process. Therapeutic jurisprudence involves unresolved tensions, however, and an epistemic power imbalance. Within the inquest, knowledge is produced, evaluated and contested, and epistemic privilege may be unevenly distributed. The inquest is also a process that, as we demonstrate, requires epistemic courage and resistance on the part of families. Families with relatives who are autistic, have learning disabilities and/or mental ill health can experience epistemic and structural injustice before an unexpected death which makes the distinctiveness of their experiences important to understand. Here, we report on a qualitative interview project which focused on how bereaved families experience the coronial process after their relative died in receipt of health and/or social care support.