Beliefs about error rates and human judgment in forensic science

Forensic Science International : Synergy
Gianni RibeiroBlake M McKimmie

Abstract

Forensic science techniques are often used in criminal trials to infer the identity of the perpetrator of crime and jurors often find this evidence very persuasive. Unfortunately, two of the leading causes of wrongful convictions are forensic science testing errors and false or misleading forensic testimony (Saks and Koehler, 2005). Therefore, it is important to understand jurors' pre-existing beliefs about forensic science, as these beliefs may impact how they evaluate forensic evidence in the courtroom. In this study, we examine people's perceptions of the likelihood of error and human judgment involved at each stage of the forensic science process (i.e., collection, storage, testing, analysis, reporting, and presenting). In addition, we examine people's perceptions of the accuracy of - and human judgment involved in - 16 different forensic techniques. We find that, in contrast to what would be expected by the CSI effect literature, participants believed that the process of forensic science involved considerable human judgment and was relatively error-prone. In addition, participants had wide-ranging beliefs about the accuracy of various forensic techniques, ranging from 65.18% (document analysis) up to 89.95% (DNA). For some...Continue Reading

Citations

Apr 23, 2020·Journal of Forensic Sciences·Brandon L GarrettRebecca Grady
Jan 2, 2021·Forensic Science International : Synergy·Andy BécueChristophe Champod
Aug 9, 2020·Forensic Science International : Synergy·William E CrozierBrandon L Garrett
Feb 17, 2021·Medicine, Science, and the Law·Francesco De MiccoCarlo Pietro Campobasso
Mar 20, 2021·Science & Justice : Journal of the Forensic Science Society·Shichun LingColleen M Berryessa
Apr 23, 2021·Forensic Science International : Synergy·Céline Weyermann, Claude Roux

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