Inquests, Inquiries and Investigations
Inquests, Inquiries and Investigations
This chapter addresses how, for many survivor and family support groups, the quest for information and accountability often became legitimately focused on the responding authorities and the way in which they conducted their affairs before, during, and after the disasters occurred. Each disaster had resulted in a series of inquests, inquiries, and investigations, many of which remained ongoing for years, yet still leaving untold the full story of what had happened. While such inquiries are necessary in order to conduct a thorough and comprehensive review of what happened, the timeframe, bureaucracy, arbitrary conduct, and discretionary nature of decisions and procedures contributed to and prolonged the emotional trauma. Indeed, the ups and downs of ongoing legal battles would leave many people feeling as victimised by, and as angry at, the systems of inquest and inquiry as they were at the fact of the deaths themselves. In the long run, this led Disaster Action members to focus not only on resolving their own disasters but on campaigning for, and contributing to, broader changes within the often antiquated and highly politicised systems of inquest and investigations themselves.
Keywords: survivor support groups, family support groups, disasters, inquests, inquiries, investigations, bureaucracy, emotional trauma, legal procedures, Disaster Action
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