Pragmatic Meaning in Court Interpreting: An Empirical Study of Additions in Consecutively-Interpreted Question-Answer Dialogues

Abstract

The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) and its accompanying guidelines introduced a special safeguard for 'vulnerable' suspects, such as adults with learning disabilities (sometimes known as 'intellectual' or 'developmental' disabilities), during police detention and interviewing. The stated reason for the introduction of this safeguard is that such persons may be 'particularly prone in certain circumstances to provide information which is unreliable, misleading or self incriminating' (Code C, Codes of Practice, Home Office, 1995) and that they are therefore 'at risk' of becoming involved in miscarriages of justice. However, no attempt has been made to specify why suspects with learning disabilities might be more 'vulnerable'.