Stories, feelings and architecture: what sways jury decision making?

Talks on Tuesdays is a live event series bringing big ideas, real experts, and curious minds together - at your favourite local venues. Think thought-provoking lectures, audience questions, and post-talk mingling over drinks and dinner.

This isn’t a uni lecture. It’s a social, intelligent night out.Come alone or with friends, leave with something to talk about.

Event Schedule:

6.30pm Arrival & Doors Open

7pm Lecuture Starts

7.45pm Q&A

8pm Talk Concludes

8.30pm Event Closes.

*Please arrive close to 6.30pm if you'd like to order meals, as there may be a wait time.

À la carte menu and full bar available throughout the night - pay as you go.

⚠ Content advisory: This lecture contains mature themes and references to sexual offences, discussed in the context of legal research and court processes.

Topic: Despite over 40 years of law reform, conviction rates for sexual offences have dropped. How do juries come to their decisions, and what shapes their understanding of testimony? From the stories we tell in court, to the design of the courtroom itself, these subtle elements influence how information is processed and how justice is delivered.

Join us for a fascinating evening with Dr Kirsty Duncanson from La Trobe University, as she explores how culture, space, and narrative affect decision-making and what this means for justice in sexual offence trials.

Your Speaker:Dr Kirsty Duncanson’s research spans courtroom design, jury decision-making, and the persistence of cultural myths in trials. Her long-term collaboration with Dr Emma Henderson examines the influences of jury direction, courtroom layout, and the operation of sexual offence myths. Most recently, she has worked with community legal centres investigating Family Violence Intervention Order application processes. Her latest book explores how our bodies interact with cinematic representations of law, and with international colleagues she has mapped the emotional labour and affective experiences of working in the courts. In her teaching, Kirsty examines power in the criminal justice system - from court architecture and language in trials to restorative justice, therapeutic jurisprudence, and justice beyond the courtroom, including protests, riots, and online spaces.