Voicing loss: Meanings and implications of participation by bereaved people in inquests

Voicing Loss was a research and policy project on the coroner service in England and Wales. It was undertaken by ICPR in partnership with the Centre for Death and Society at the University of Bath. The project examined the role of bereaved people in coroners’ investigations and inquests, as defined in law and policy and experienced in practice. It also considered how the inclusion and participation of bereaved people in the coronial process could be better supported. 

The Voicing Loss research involved interviews with 89 individuals who had come into contact with the coroner service following the death of someone they were close to;  82 coronial professionals (including coroners, coroners’ officers, lawyers and others); and 19 individuals who had given evidence to an inquest in a professional capacity or supported colleagues who were witnesses. This constitutes the largest ever empirical study of lay and professional experiences of the coronial process in England and Wales. 

Research findings and other project outputs can be found at https://voicing-loss.icpr.org.uk/.

The Voicing Loss research was carried out from 2021 to 2024.