Forensic Evidence in Court

DNA evidence is widely used in the modern justice system. Statistical methodology plays a key role in ensuring that this evidence is collected, interpreted, analysed and presented correctly. This book is a guide to assessing DNA evidence and presenting that evidence in a courtroom setting. It offers practical guidance to forensic scientists with little dependence on mathematical ability, and provides the scientist with the understanding they require to apply the methods in their work. Since the publication of the first edition of this book in 2005 there have been many incremental changes, and one dramatic change which is the emergence of low template DNA (LTDNA) profiles. This second edition is edited and expanded to cover the basics of LTDNA technology. The author's own open-source R code likeLTD is described and used for worked examples in the book. Commercial and free software are also covered.

A practical guide for determining the evidential value of physicochemical data Microtraces of various materials (e.g. glass, paint, fibres, and petroleum products) are routinely subjected to physicochemical examination by forensic experts, whose role is to evaluate such physicochemical data in the context of the prosecution and defence propositions. Such examinations return various kinds of information, including quantitative data. From the forensic point of view, the most suitable way to evaluate evidence is the likelihood ratio. This book provides a collection of recent approaches to the determination of likelihood ratios and describes suitable software, with documentation and examples of their use in practice. The statistical computing and graphics software environment R, pre-computed Bayesian networks using Hugin Researcher and a new package, calcuLatoR, for the computation of likelihood ratios are all explored. Statistical Analysis in Forensic Science will provide an invaluable practical guide for forensic experts and practitioners, forensic statisticians, analytical chemists, and chemometricians. Key features include: Description of the physicochemical analysis of forensic trace evidence. Detailed description of likelihood ratio models for determining the evidential value of multivariate physicochemical data. Detailed description of methods, such as empirical cross-entropy plots, for assessing the performance of likelihood ratio-based methods for evidence evaluation. Routines written using the open-source R software, as well as Hugin Researcher and calcuLatoR. Practical examples and recommendations for the use of all these methods in practice.

High-quality evidence is the foundation for effective treatment in medicine. As the vast amount of published medical evidence continues to grow, concerns about the quality of many studies are increasing.  Evidence in Medicine  is a much-needed resource that addresses the ‘medical misinformation mess’ by assessing the flaws in the research environment. This authoritative text identifies and summarises the many factors that have produced the current problems in medical research, including bias in randomised controlled trials, questionable research practices, falsified data, manipulated findings, and more.  This volume brings together the findings from meta-research studies and systematic reviews to explore the quality of clinical trials and other medical research, explaining the character and consequences of poor-quality medical evidence using clear language and a wealth of supporting references. The text suggests planning strategies to transform the research process and provides an extensive list of the actions that could be taken by researchers, regulators, and other key stakeholders to address defects in medical evidence. This timely volume:  Enables readers to select reliable studies and recognise misleading research Highlights the main types of biased and wasted studies Discusses how incentives in the research environment influence the quality of evidence Identifies the problems researchers need to guard against in their work Describes the scale of poor-quality research and explores why the problems are widespread Includes a summary of key findings on poor-quality research and a listing of proposed initiatives to improve research evidence Contains extensive citations to references, reviews, commentaries, and landmark studies  Evidence in Medicine  is required reading for all researchers who create evidence, funders and publishers of medical research, students who conduct their own research studies, and healthcare practitioners wanting to deliver high-quality, evidence-based care.

This is the first text to examine the use of statistical methods in forensic science and bayesian statistics in combination. The book is split into two parts: Part One concentrates on the philosophies of statistical inference. Chapter One examines the differences between the frequentist, the likelihood and the Bayesian perspectives, before Chapter Two explores the Bayesian decision-theoretic perspective further, and looks at the benefits it carries. Part Two then introduces the reader to the practical aspects involved: the application, interpretation, summary and presentation of data analyses are all examined from a Bayesian decision-theoretic perspective. A wide range of statistical methods, essential in the analysis of forensic scientific data is explored. These include the comparison of allele proportions in populations, the comparison of means, the choice of sampling size, and the discrimination of items of evidence of unknown origin into predefined populations. Throughout this practical appraisal there are a wide variety of examples taken from the routine work of forensic scientists. These applications are demonstrated in the ever-more popular R language. The reader is taken through these applied examples in a step-by-step approach, discussing the methods at each stage.

AN AUTHORITATIVE GUIDE TO THE CURRENT SPECIALTY GUIDELINES FOR FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY Ethics in Forensic Psychology Practice is a comprehensive and authoritative resource that addresses major concerns of professionals who conduct evaluations, provide treatment, carry out research, as well as a guide for those who teach and train in diverse legal contexts. Including on the American Psychological Association's current Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology, the standard measure for ethical and legal conduct, this important volume is organized around substantive practice issues that cut across various functions and roles. The authors include a range of topics such as training, business practices, roles, privacy, confidentiality, report writing, testifying, and more.

All the tips and tools you need to start, grow, and sustain a successful forensic psychology practice Getting Started in Forensic Psychology Practice is the first book of its kind aimed at those mental health professionals and recent graduates interested in entering the growing and lucrative field of forensic psychology. User-friendly and full of helpful tips, this handy guide provides you with tools and techniques for starting a thriving forensic psychology practice, or incorporating a forensic specialty into your current practice. This comprehensive resource includes information on: * The difference between clinical and forensic practice * Advantages and disadvantages of forensic practice * Preparing for forensic psychological practice * Planning a forensic psychology business * How to market your practice * What lawyers look for in forensic psychologists as expert witnesses> * Ethics, professional competence, and risk management issues * Performing evaluations * Testifying in court and depositions In addition, Getting Started in Forensic Psychology Practice also features several helpful appendices that include sample evaluations and reports, as well as detailed discussions of child custody evaluation and assessment. Covering everything from advice on how to dress for court to major concerns such as the problems of insanity defenses, Getting Started in Forensic Psychology Practice puts the best solutions and information at your fingertips. Whether you're a recent graduate or a seasoned practitioner, this invaluable resource will help you minimize the uncertainty of establishing your forensic practice while maximizing the rewards.

Ethical medical practice and treatment in psychiatry are based on the concept of first do no harm. However, this cannot, and does not, apply to forensic cases where there is no doctor–patient relationship and the forensic psychiatrist may indeed cause harm to the examinee. In this book, Robert Sadoff analyzes the ethical issues affecting forensic psychiatric practice, especially those promulgated by the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. Within those guidelines, he looks at individual bias, vulnerability of the examinee, and potential harm to the mental health professional. The book discusses each of the procedures of the forensic expert separately with respect to minimizing harm. It has been written with an international audience in mind and features chapters reviewing the European and UK perspectives, by Emanuele Valenti and John Baird, respectively. Robert Sadoff addresses the long-term harm that can be either avoided or minimized through careful planning and application of ethical principles. He is not advocating that the harm can be totally eliminated, because that is impossible in the adversarial system in which forensic psychiatrists work. However, there are means by which harm may be minimized if care is taken during the assessment, the report writing, and the testimony phase of the proceedings. The book develops the scope of forensic psychiatry from the standpoint of administrative, civil and criminal cases. It presents the practical issues involved in conducting forensic psychiatric assessments under various conditions plus special considerations, such as bias, minimizing harm, developing a therapeutic approach, and elaborating on various vulnerable individuals who are frequently examined in forensic cases. These include juveniles, mentally retarded, autistic, sexual assault victims, the elderly, the organically damaged, the psychotic, and mentally disabled prisoners. Immigrants are covered in a chapter by Solange Margery Bertoglia. The ethical issues in conducting forensic psychiatric examinations and presenting psychiatric testimony in court are examined and discussed. Cases illustrating the difficulties involved punctuate the presentation. The book closes with a fascinating account of the legal perspective by Donna Vanderpool. In summary, this book illustrates the ethical and practical issues that affect forensic psychiatric practice. The question is not what we do, but how we do it, and which standards, ethical guidelines and personal values contribute to the total picture. Despite the fact that we cannot always adhere to the doctrine of «primum non nocere,» we can minimize the harm caused inherently by the adversarial system in which we participate. Praise for Ethical Issues in Forensic Psychiatry «One of the founding giants of the forensic psychiatric field has written here far more than a „mere“ ethics textbook. Instead, this compendium serves multiple purposes: it is a valuable primer on forensic techniques of examination and testimony, a model of best forensic practices, and an instruction on the most appropriately civilized way in which to conduct oneself as a forensic psychiatrist. The success of these multiple accomplishments clearly derives from characteristics of the author. In both sage advice to practitioners and in many revealing case examples, Dr. Sadoff displays the tact, good manners and sensitivity of a consummate gentleman – a term not always associated with the hurly-burly of courtroom work. The book's primary focus on avoiding harm to all the parties involved in the work places it on the moral high ground of the legal system in which participating clinicians must find a place.» Thomas G. Gutheil, MD, Professor of Psychiatry and Co-Founder, Program in Psychiatry and the Law, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School

Ethical medical practice and treatment in psychiatry are based on the concept of first do no harm. However, this cannot, and does not, apply to forensic cases where there is no doctor–patient relationship and the forensic psychiatrist may indeed cause harm to the examinee. In this book, Robert Sadoff analyzes the ethical issues affecting forensic psychiatric practice, especially those promulgated by the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. Within those guidelines, he looks at individual bias, vulnerability of the examinee, and potential harm to the mental health professional. The book discusses each of the procedures of the forensic expert separately with respect to minimizing harm. It has been written with an international audience in mind and features chapters reviewing the European and UK perspectives, by Emanuele Valenti and John Baird, respectively. Robert Sadoff addresses the long-term harm that can be either avoided or minimized through careful planning and application of ethical principles. He is not advocating that the harm can be totally eliminated, because that is impossible in the adversarial system in which forensic psychiatrists work. However, there are means by which harm may be minimized if care is taken during the assessment, the report writing, and the testimony phase of the proceedings. The book develops the scope of forensic psychiatry from the standpoint of administrative, civil and criminal cases. It presents the practical issues involved in conducting forensic psychiatric assessments under various conditions plus special considerations, such as bias, minimizing harm, developing a therapeutic approach, and elaborating on various vulnerable individuals who are frequently examined in forensic cases. These include juveniles, mentally retarded, autistic, sexual assault victims, the elderly, the organically damaged, the psychotic, and mentally disabled prisoners. Immigrants are covered in a chapter by Solange Margery Bertoglia. The ethical issues in conducting forensic psychiatric examinations and presenting psychiatric testimony in court are examined and discussed. Cases illustrating the difficulties involved punctuate the presentation. The book closes with a fascinating account of the legal perspective by Donna Vanderpool. In summary, this book illustrates the ethical and practical issues that affect forensic psychiatric practice. The question is not what we do, but how we do it, and which standards, ethical guidelines and personal values contribute to the total picture. Despite the fact that we cannot always adhere to the doctrine of «primum non nocere,» we can minimize the harm caused inherently by the adversarial system in which we participate. Praise for Ethical Issues in Forensic Psychiatry «One of the founding giants of the forensic psychiatric field has written here far more than a „mere“ ethics textbook. Instead, this compendium serves multiple purposes: it is a valuable primer on forensic techniques of examination and testimony, a model of best forensic practices, and an instruction on the most appropriately civilized way in which to conduct oneself as a forensic psychiatrist. The success of these multiple accomplishments clearly derives from characteristics of the author. In both sage advice to practitioners and in many revealing case examples, Dr. Sadoff displays the tact, good manners and sensitivity of a consummate gentleman – a term not always associated with the hurly-burly of courtroom work. The book's primary focus on avoiding harm to all the parties involved in the work places it on the moral high ground of the legal system in which participating clinicians must find a place.» Thomas G. Gutheil, MD, Professor of Psychiatry and Co-Founder, Program in Psychiatry and the Law, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School

Methodologies and Challenges in Forensic Linguistic Casework Discover more about Forensic Linguistics, a fascinating cross-disciplinary field from an international team of renowned contributors Methodologies and Challenges in Forensic Linguistic Casework provides an overview of the range of forensic linguistic casework typically found in investigative and judicial contexts. In these case studies, the authors demonstrate how linguistic theory is applied in real-life forensic situations and the constraints and challenges they have to deal with. Drawing on linguistic expertise from the USA and Europe involving casework in English, Spanish, Danish and Portuguese, our contributing practitioners exemplify the most common types of text analysis such as identifying faked texts, suspect profiling, analyzing texts whose authorship is questioned, and giving expert opinions on meaning and understanding. Methodologies and Challenges in Forensic Linguistic Casework is designed for investigators and legal practitioners interested in the use of language analysis for investigative or evidentiary purposes, as well as for students and researchers wanting to understand how linguistic theory and analysis may be applied to solving real-life forensic problems using current best practice.

Updated to reflect recent changes in the field, the 2nd Edition of Forensic Psychology presents a comprehensive overview of forensic psychology and its applications in the civil and criminal justice systems of the UK. Builds on the first edition to convey material in an engaging manner to postgraduate students in psychology Includes a significant expansion of pedagogical features, including text boxes highlighting key seminar issues and key debates in the field to further group discussion Provides an up-to-date summary of emerging evidence in the field, and its implications for evidence based practice Points to additional online learning resources at the conclusion of each chapter