3.1 Trust generation
This activity looks at trust generation in the crime scene and laboratory practices.
Activity 4 Trust in the forensic process
Do you trust the forensic analysis process in Dave’s case so far?
Answer
Forensic evidence has been historically trusted even though there have been some high profile mishaps resulting in some decrease in trust.
The mishaps could occur at different points in the forensic process from the crime scene to the laboratory. This could be in any of the following:
- contamination
- expert misconduct
- bias of experts
- inaccurate analysis
- unqualified examiners and analysts
- unvalidated techniques
- other
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In the USA, research shows that although members of the public believe forensic science remains a key part of criminal investigation, they perceive a high risk of error ‘about half of the time at each stage’ of the forensic process. This makes the public sceptical about the accuracy of some forensic science techniques (Kaplan, et al., 2020). Generally, errors in forensic science can be caused by practitioner, analytical, or systemic failures and may contribute to wrongful convictions. These mistakes are therefore drivers of distrust.
To help mitigate this, oversight and regulatory measures have been established in many jurisdictions, such as the Forensic Science Regulator in England and Wales and the Organisation of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science in the USA. These bodies aim to ensure and improve the quality and reliability of forensic evidence provision, such as by establishing quality standards, ensuring accreditation of forensic science service providers (FSPs), competency of practitioners and investigating and sanctioning FSPs for failures and practices that do not meet required standards.
OpenLearn - Do you trust forensic science in the criminal justice system?
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