Bearing Witness: Public Inquiries & Holding Institutions to Account

Writing on the Wallis a dynamic, Liverpool-based community organisation that coordinates projects and events that celebrate writing in all its forms. We work with a broad and inclusive definition of writing that embraces literature, creative writing, journalism and non-fiction, poetry, songwriting, and storytelling. Writing on the Wall works with local, national and international writers whose work provokes controversy and debate. We work with all of Liverpool’s communities to promote and celebrate individual and collective creativity.

Writing on the Wall

Bearing Witness to the ‘Pain of Others’; Public Inquiries, Independent Panels, Holding Institutions to Account - Phil Scraton

Victoria Gallery & Museum

‘What to do with such knowledge of faraway suffering? … it seems normal for people to [ignore] the ordeals of others. We don’t get it. We truly can’t imagine how dreadful, how terrifying, and how normal it becomes. Can’t understand, can’t imagine’. (Susan Sontag, 2002) From Jimmy Kelly’s 1979 death in police custody to Ireland’s mother and baby institutions, Phil Scraton’s research exposes institutional abuses of power. His work challenges public inquiry failures and highlights independent panels (Hillsborough, Mother and Baby Institutions) that centre survivors’ voices. Panels, whose extensive findings inform public inquiries, enable those giving evidence to speak freely without public examination. This transformative process is essential to truth recovery, empowering the bereaved to challenge state authority and reveal the limits of official justice. Scraton’s work turns individual cases into broader issues of institutional accountability.

Phil Scraton, Professor Emeritus at Queen’s University Belfast, is a leading researcher on state power, contested deaths, and the rights of bereaved families and survivors. He led the Hillsborough Independent Panel’s research, was principal author of its report, and worked closely with families throughout the inquests. His work spans major investigations into prison protests, mother and baby institutions, and police brutality. Widely published, his books include Hillsborough: The Truth, Power, Conflict and Criminalisation, and The Violence of Incarceration. A consultant on the BAFTA-winning documentary Hillsborough, he holds a Leverhulme Fellowship researching independent panels. He has advised on deaths in custody and institutional abuses, challenging state accountability. Awarded the Freedom of Liverpool, he refused an OBE and was a guest on Desert Island Discs.

Venue: Victoria Gallery, Ashton St, Liverpool L69 3DRDate and Time: Tuesday 6th May, 7pmTickets: £7

Our {communityGuidelinesLink} describe the sort of content we prohibit on Eventbrite. If you suspect an event may be in violation, you can report it to us so we can investigate.

To report other categories of prohibited or illegal content, submit {link}

Bearing Witness: Public Inquiries & Holding Institutions to Account

More events from Writing on the Wall

Discover more events from Writing on the Wall, from Arts to other experiences you might love.

Still looking for the right event?

Explore all events in Liverpool and filter by date, category, and more to find the perfect fit.

Bearing Witness: Public Inquiries & Holding Institutions to Account

More events from Writing on the Wall

Discover more events from Writing on the Wall, from Arts to other experiences you might love.

More Arts events

Browse more Arts events with different dates, prices, and formats to find your next great experience.

Still looking for the right event?

Explore all events in Liverpool and filter by date, category, and more to find the perfect fit.