INQUEST Handbook

Summary

The INQUEST handbook is a free and trusted guide for bereaved families and friends affected by a sudden death that involves an inquest, available in print and online. 

It has been developed and shaped by the many families they work with, and helps prepare bereaved people for the inquest process in England and Wales.

Content

What does the handbook cover?

It includes advice and information on:

• What happens after a sudden death?
• Post-mortem examinations and the rights of bereaved people
• The process before and during an inquest, including when you may need legal advice and how to fund it
• Coping with a death and an inquest
• Contentious deaths in police and prison custody, immigration detention, mental health settings and deaths involving multi-agency failings or where wider issues of state and corporate accountability are in question
• Contacts of voluntary, government and professional organisations working on mental health, criminal justice and immigration issues.

About INQUEST

INQUEST is the only charity providing expertise on state related deaths and their investigation to bereaved people, lawyers, advice and support agencies, the media and parliamentarians. Their specialist casework includes deaths in police and prison custody, immigration detention, mental health settings and deaths involving multi-agency failings or where wider issues of state and corporate accountability are in question.