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- Title
Scientists and Earthquake Risk Prediction: "Ordinary" Liability in an Extraordinary Case?
- Authors
Notaro, Domenico
- Abstract
This article aims to consider whether classic criminal offences (such as manslaughter) are adequate to reprove the scientists' behaviour when major calamities are being judged to have caused the death of people and wide destructions. The fundamental problem hinges on the role of risk-assessment and consultancy carried out by the scientists, as well as on the unknown state of major risks. Then, to establish a link of causality between the defendants' behaviour and the death-events affecting the victims, it must be proved that: a) the scientists "psychically" influenced the victims to leave any safety precaution in relation to the risk; b) the deaths of the inhabitants are not to be considered an "extraordinary" circumstance, even by experts. The difficulties faced by the Judge to fulfil these tasks prompt us to wonder whether other types of criminal charges would be more appropriate for sanctioning scientists who are found to be derelict in their duty of risk-assessment to authorities and citizens.
- Subjects
NATURAL disaster research; LOGICAL prediction; FORECASTING methodology; RISK assessment; SCIENTISTS; DEATH forecasting; INDICTMENTS
- Publication
European Journal of Risk Regulation, 2014, Vol 5, Issue 2, p159
- ISSN
1867-299X
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1017/S1867299X00003573