In Nov. 2017, the Royal Society published this primer to assist the UK judiciary when handling DNA and serology evidence in the courtroom. The primer provides a good introduction to forensic DNA analysis, including a description of different types of DNA mixture interpretation software.
Reports and Publications
North Carolina Juvenile Defender Manual: Chapter 7, Capacity to Proceed
Chapter 7 of the Juvenile Defender’s Manual (Oct. 2017) focuses on juvenile defenders who may lack the capacity to proceed.
North Carolina Juvenile Defender Manual: Chapter 7, Capacity to ProceedRead More
Forensic Science Assessments: A Quality and Gap Analysis – Latent Fingerprint Examination
The 2017 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Forensic Science Assessments: A Quality and Gap Analysis – Latent Fingerprint Examination found that while latent fingerprint examiners can successfully rule out most of the population from being the source of a latent fingerprint based on observed features, insufficient data exist to determine how unique fingerprint features …
Forensic Science Assessments: A Quality and Gap Analysis – Latent Fingerprint ExaminationRead More
Marijuana-Impaired Driving A Report to Congress
July 2017 NHTSA report – The report describes the absorption, distribution and elimination of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinal (THC) the primary psychoactive substance in marijuana, in the body. It contrasts this process with the absorption, distribution and elimination of alcohol in the body, as they are very different processes. The poor correlation of THC concentrations in the blood …
Making Sense of Forensic Genetics
This 2017 guide presents information about DNA forensics in a way that is accessible to both a general audience and legal professionals. It focuses on topics such as the context in which DNA evidence is discovered, DNA databases, statistics, and use of DNA to predict appearance or ancestry.
The Relationship Between Eyewitness Confidence and Identification Accuracy: A New Synthesis
John T. Wixted and Gary L. Wells published this article in Mar. 2017 finding that eyewitness confidence and accuracy are strongly related in pristine lineup conditions. Where lineup conditions are non-pristine, accuracy of even a high confidence suspect ID is seriously compromised. Pristine line-up procedures include using only one suspect per lineup; the suspect should …
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NIST Research Enables Enhanced DNA “Fingerprints”
Starting Jan. 1, 2017, forensic labs that participate in the FBI’s National DNA Index System (NDIS) increased the number of genetic markers analyzed from 13 to 20. Analyzing an increased number of genetic markers will make the DNA profiles more compatible with international DNA searches and will decrease the likelihood of a random match of …
PCAST Report
The 2016 President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology Report found that latent fingerprint analysis is a foundationally valid subjective methodology, but with a false positive rate that is substantial and is likely to be higher than expected by many jurors based on longstanding claims about the infallibility of fingerprint analysis. Conclusions of a …
PCAST Report
The 2016 President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology Report concluded that “bitemark analysis does not meet scientific standards for foundational validity, and is far from meeting such standards. To the contrary, available scientific evidence strongly suggests that examiners cannot consistently agree on whether an injury is a human bitemark and cannot identify the …
Forensic Science in Criminal Courts: Ensuring Scientific Validity of Feature-Comparison Methods
The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology issued a report (known as the PCAST report) in September 2016. This report assesses the scientific validity and reliability of some important forms of forensic evidence and of testimony. In Jan. 2017, PCAST published an addendum to their report which is available here.
National Protocol for Sexual Abuse Medical Forensic Examinations – Pediatric
April 2016 U.S. Department of Justice protocol for medical forensic examinations of children. See requirements for documentation and photography. For the interview portion of the investigation, attorneys should be aware of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Investigative Interview Protocol.
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PCAST Report
The 2016 PCAST Report found that “firearms analysis currently falls short of the criteria for foundational validity, because there is only a single appropriately designed study to measure validity and estimate reliability. The scientific criteria for foundational validity require more than one such study, to demonstrate reproducibility. Whether firearms analysis should be deemed admissible based on …
Traumatic shaking: The role of the triad in medical investigations of suspected traumatic shaking
Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment 2016 review of the available scientific evidence finding: There is limited scientific evidence that the triad and therefore its components can be associated with traumatic shaking (low quality evidence). There is insufficient scientific evidence on which to assess the diagnostic accuracy of the triad in identifying traumatic shaking (very …
Weak DNA evidence could undermine justice, experts say
Chicago Tribune article uses a case example to demonstrate the dangers of using DNA evidence that has very little probative value. New technology is allowing DNA analysis to be performed on very small amounts of DNA which may generate incomplete genetic profiles that may or may not be meaningful in a case.
Weak DNA evidence could undermine justice, experts sayRead More
The path forward on bite mark matching – and the rearview mirror
4-part Washington Post series on the flawed “science” of bite mark analysis
The path forward on bite mark matching – and the rearview mirrorRead More