scholarly journals Beginning with Blood Patterns: Surface material and case information effects on trainee analysts’ judgments

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Hugh ◽  
Liam Satchell
Keyword(s):  
Forensic Science ◽  
The United States ◽  
Forensic Sciences ◽  
Surface Material ◽  
National Academy Of Sciences ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Human Interpretation ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Academy Of Sciences ◽  
Blood Pattern Analysis

There is growing concern about human bias and limitations in forensic science practice. The United States National Academy of Sciences has specifically highlighted that forensic sciences “rely on human interpretation of what could be tainted by error” (Edwards and Gotsonis, 2009, p9). An array of literature has shown that particular domains of forensic science, such as fingerprint and DNA matching, are vulnerable to bias and error. Less attention has been paid to the process of blood pattern analysis. In the current study, a sample of 32 trainee blood pattern analysts from the United Kingdom were asked to report the number and type of stains present on six different surfaces. The surfaces were systematically varied in terms of colour and porosity. Further, participants were provided with ‘case information’ to investigate if details about the source of the stains would bias a re-appraisal of the stains. We found that the trainees found the dark, non-porous surfaces particularly challenging when identifying the number of stains present on a surface. The accuracy at detecting the specific types of stain varied more as a function of the individual trainee than the surface material. Case information had no effect on participants reappraising the stains. The results highlight particular materials that may require targeted tutoring for trainee blood pattern analysts.

Core Competencies in Forensic Anthropology: A Framework for Education, Training, and Practice

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-80
Author(s):  
Natalie Langley ◽  
MariaTeresa Tersigni-Tarrant
Keyword(s):  
Forensic Science ◽  
Forensic Anthropology ◽  
Core Competencies ◽  
The United States ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Forensic Sciences ◽  
Practice Research ◽  
National Academy Of Sciences ◽  
Forensic Practice ◽  
And Training

Forensic practice, research, and expert testimony has been scrutinized increasingly by the medicolegal system over the last several decades, requiring attention to rigor and triggering reform in the forensic sciences. One hindrance to the forensic science enterprise noted in the National Academy of Sciences report Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward is fragmentation in education and training among the forensic sciences. It is crucial that practitioners receive appropriate training in their field of expertise and that education programs demonstrate the effectiveness of curricula in producing competent practitioners. This article examines a model for delineating core competencies in forensic anthropology and translating these competencies into measurable activities that characterize the knowledge, skills, and behaviors required of forensic anthropologists. We propose the model used in medical education: core competencies and Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs). We suggest EPAs that encapsulate the core competencies and allow practitioners to demonstrate that they can be trusted to perform units of professional practice unsupervised. This model emphasizes the abilities to be acquired by trainees, providing education and training programs with a set of guidelines for designing curricula and assessing learners. It also informs certification testing and credentialing in forensic anthropology. In the era of greater accountability, a competency-based model ensures that all board-certified practitioners are competent in all essential domains. The dynamic model also communicates to the medicolegal community and stakeholders the units of work produced by forensic anthropologists and our role in forensic investigations and casework.

scholarly journals Ensuring the Reliability of Fire-Arm Identification Evidence

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 1-39
Author(s):  
Lirieka Meintjes ◽  
Tanyarara Mutsavi
Keyword(s):  
Forensic Science ◽  
South African ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
The United States ◽  
National Academy Of Sciences ◽  
National Institute Of Justice ◽  
Anglo American ◽  
Academy Of Sciences ◽  
Science Evidence

Notwithstanding the acceptance of firearm identification by courts, the scientific community has been reluctant to recognise firearm identification as a reliable method of conclusively establishing a connection between a particular bullet and a particular gun. The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) in the United States (US) has categorised firearm identification as a discipline under forensic science, and forensic science has been described as a "fractured and burdened discipline". In addition, in 2009 the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) concluded that forensic science is broken. With regard to firearm identification, the NAS Report emphasised the need for sufficient studies to be done because this report regarded this type of evidence as unreliable and lacking repeatability. The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) Report, released in September 2016, came to a conclusion similar to that of the 2009 NAS Report with regard to forensic science evidence. With regard to firearm identification, the report asserted that firearm identification evidence still "falls short of the scientific criteria for foundational validity". It is disturbing that courts across the globe are using different types of forensic science without subjecting them to scrutiny so as to determine their reliability. In the light of this, reliability and validity have become important factors which demand attention in Anglo-American litigation, even in jurisdictions that do not have a formal reliability standard (such as England and Wales, and South Africa). This article shows the role of cross-examination in establishing the reliability of firearm expert evidence. It also focusses on the role that South African forensic practitioners, prosecutors, defence counsels and presiding officers can play in ensuring the reliability of firearm identification evidence

scholarly journals Open Forensic Science

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Chin ◽  
Gianni Ribeiro ◽  
Alicia Rairden
Keyword(s):  
Forensic Science ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Forensic Sciences ◽  
National Academy Of Sciences ◽  
Forensic Evidence ◽  
Legal Proceedings ◽  
Forensic Scientists ◽  
Academy Of Sciences ◽  
False Discoveries ◽  
Efficiency And Reliability

The mainstream sciences are experiencing a revolution of methodology. This revolution was inspired, in part, by the realization that a surprising number of findings in the bioscientific literature could not be replicated or reproduced by independent laboratories and were likely false discoveries. In response – as reflected in a 2018 report of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine – scientific norms and practices are rapidly moving towards openness. These reforms promise many enhancements to the scientific process, notably improved efficiency and reliability of findings. Changes are also underway in the forensic sciences (although they have recently hit substantial political roadblocks). After years of legal-scientific criticism and several reports from peak scientific bodies, efforts are underway to establish the validity of several forensic practices and ensure forensic scientists perform and present their work in a scientifically valid way.In this article, the authors suggest that open science reforms are distinctively suited to addressing the problems faced by forensic science. Openness comports with legal and criminal justice values, helping ensure expert forensic evidence is more reliable and susceptible to rational evaluation by the trier of fact. In short, open forensic science allows parties in legal proceedings to understand and assess the strength of the case against them, resulting in fairer outcomes. Moreover, several emerging open science initiatives allow for speedier and more collaborative research. These, in many cases, may be readily applied to forensic science.

scholarly journals A Template For Enhancing The Impact of The National Academy of Sciences’ Reporting on Forensic Science

2019 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amelia Shooter ◽  
Sarah L. Cooper
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Forensic Science ◽  
Lie Detection ◽  
The United States ◽  
Forensic Analysis ◽  
Think Tank ◽  
National Academy Of Sciences ◽  
Bullet Lead ◽  
Academy Of Sciences ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The National Academy of Sciences (NAS), established in 1863, is the United States’ leading science and technology think-tank, with an active commitment to advising government. Over the last 150 years, the NAS has, both independently and in conjunction with the federal government, investigated and reported on various issues of importance, ranging from space exploration and biosecurity, to STEM education and immigration. Due to growing concerns about particular disciplines (and specifically their application in legal proceedings), one issue the NAS has reported on between 1992 and 2009 is forensic science. Specifically, the NAS has published six reports commenting on the status of forensic science evidence in the USA, namely DNA Technology in Forensic Science (1992), The Evaluation of Forensic DNA Evidence (1996), The Polygraph and Lie Detection (2003), Forensic Analysis: Weighing Bullet Lead Evidence (2004), Ballistic Imaging (2008), and Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward (2009). The response of stakeholders (including from political, legal, and academic spheres) to these reports has varied, ranging from shifts in practice and full acknowledgement, to considerable struggles to effectuate systemic reform. Using the different experiences of two reports – Forensic Analysis: Weighing Bullet Lead Evidence (2004) and Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward (2009) – as a vehicle, this article suggests how the NAS can strengthen the impact of its forensic science reporting, and how stakeholders can better harness the expertise of the NAS.

Mathematics, Peace, and the Cold War

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 556-591 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brit Shields
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Cold War ◽  
Soviet Union ◽  
The United States ◽  
New York University ◽  
National Academy Of Sciences ◽  
Political Role ◽  
Exchange Program ◽  
Mathematical Sciences ◽  
Academy Of Sciences

This paper seeks to combine studies of émigré scientists, Cold War American science, and cultural histories of mathematical communities by analyzing Richard Courant’s participation in the National Academy of Sciences interacademy exchange program with the Soviet Union in the 1960s. Following his dismissal by the Nazi government from his post as Director of the Göttingen Mathematics Institute in 1933, Courant spent a year at the University of Cambridge, and then immigrated to the United States where he developed the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University. Courant’s participation with the National Academy of Sciences interacademy exchange program at the end of his career highlights his ideologies about the mathematics discipline, the international mathematics community, and the political role mathematicians could play in contributing to international peace through scientific diplomacy. Courant’s Cold War scientific identity emerges from his activities as an émigré mathematician, institution builder, and international “ambassador.”

scholarly journals THE ECO-SOCIO-ECONOMIC LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT OF WORLD COUNTRIES – A COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT PROPOSAL

2020 ◽  
Vol XXII (3) ◽  
pp. 86-96
Author(s):  
Arkadiusz Gromada ◽  
Marcin Wysokiński ◽  
Magdalena Golonko ◽  
Paulina Trębska
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
The United States ◽  
South American ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Happy Life ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Social And Economic Development ◽  
Socio Economic Development ◽  
South Eastern Europe ◽  
The Individual

The main purpose of the article was to assess the eco-socio-economic development of world countries. For this purpose, the Comprehensive Eco-Socio-Economic Development Index (CESEDI) was proposed and used. The proposed measure is based on a dozen or so indicators recognized and used in the literature for assessing countries in terms of their social, economic and environmental achievements. An attempt was made to include most of the elements necessary for the safe, healthy and happy life of citizens of the studied countries. The article presents world leaders, based on the CESEDI. Moreover, the individual components of the CESEDI and their level in the analyzed countries are presented. It was found, inter alia, that 18 out of 20 countries with the highest CESEDI are European countries. The ranking leaders were highly developed Scandinavian countries (Norway, Denmark, Finland) and Switzerland. The countries of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe (Slovenia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland and Romania) took high positions in the ranking, ahead of such countries as Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan and the United States. Research results indicate that European and South American countries are, on average, more developed in terms of ecological, social and economic development than countries in the rest of the world.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document