Shifting forensic science focus from means to purpose: A path forward for the discipline?

Roux, Claude; Willis, Sheila; Weyermann, Céline

doi:10.1016/j.scijus.2021.08.005

Cited by 42 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Such an ethos can thus only serve to strengthen and further grow this community of practice, to ensure the future benefits from their scientific endeavours. Recent work towards developing a core for forensic genetics [ 1 , 36 ] has focused on robust science, disciplinary concerns, and on the criminal justice system. A strong ethos would support the discipline in realising future ambitions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some have called for the discipline to refocus its purpose [ 36 ]. While agreeing that the question of purpose is fundamental, we emphasise the creation of a self-governing community of practice (with a shared vision of purpose), with a collective commitment to a bespoke ‘ethos’ for forensic genetics while subscribing to a robust ethical scientific basis for forensic work—as the Sydney Declaration has, in part, suggested.…”

Section: Why An Ethos For Forensic Genetics?mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Integrity, Trustworthiness, and Effectiveness: Towards an Ethos for Forensic Genetics

Wienroth

Amankwaa

McCartney

2022

Genes

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Forensic genetics comes under critical scrutiny when developments challenge previously accepted legal, ethical, social, and other boundaries. Forensic geneticists continue to build a knowledge culture within a community of practice that acknowledges ethical standards of conduct in both research and the societal application of forensic genetics. As the community further cements and extends its societal role, and in that process often pushing at ethical and legal boundaries, it requires a strong, resilient, and responsive ethos that, in setting clear parameters for conduct, fosters the field’s sense of purpose. While supra-national declarations and human rights protections, coupled with local regulations, provide some parameters for practice, and discipline-specific guidance has refined an agenda for forensic genetics research and application, this maturing field needs to now define its core principles. This contribution proposes the values of integrity, trustworthiness, and effectiveness as a foundational triptych for a bespoke forensic genetics ethos to ensure the augmentation of developments that range from a purely science-oriented to a wider societally relevant knowledge culture.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Why An Ethos For Forensic Genetics?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrity, Trustworthiness, and Effectiveness: Towards an Ethos for Forensic Genetics

Wienroth

Amankwaa

McCartney

2022

Genes

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“…At the other extreme, when there are calls specific to forensic science, they usually focus exclusively or primarily on short-term goals related to law-enforcement investigative applications rather than on courtroom-evidential applications (investigative and evidential applications have very different requirements), and they usually focus on technology rather than on forensic inference . technology-oriented development … often overrul[es] the importance of appropriate scientific reasoning to solve actual problems (Roux et al [ 82 ], p. 679) …”

Section: A Paradigm Shift In Evaluation Of Forensic Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…technology-oriented development … often overrul[es] the importance of appropriate scientific reasoning to solve actual problems (Roux et al [ 82 ], p. 679)…”

Section: A Paradigm Shift In Evaluation Of Forensic Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

Advancing a paradigm shift in evaluation of forensic evidence: The rise of forensic data science

Morrison

2022

Forensic Science International: Synergy

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“…The compartmentalised nature of the scientific disciplines in many modern forensic laboratories hampers the proper evaluation of forensic findings [215]. Interdisciplinary assessments of traces increase the impact of the forensic sciences on the criminal justice system (CJS), both improving efficiency by reducing unnecessary examinations and improving understanding of the combined weight of the findings given case-relevant propositions at the activity level [216].…”

Section: Cooperation With Other Scientific Disciplines the Legal Community And Policementioning

confidence: 99%

DNA Transfer in Forensic Science: Recent Progress towards Meeting Challenges

Oorschot

Meakin

Kokshoorn

et al. 2021

Genes

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Understanding the factors that may impact the transfer, persistence, prevalence and recovery of DNA (DNA-TPPR), and the availability of data to assign probabilities to DNA quantities and profile types being obtained given particular scenarios and circumstances, is paramount when performing, and giving guidance on, evaluations of DNA findings given activity level propositions (activity level evaluations). In late 2018 and early 2019, three major reviews were published on aspects of DNA-TPPR, with each advocating the need for further research and other actions to support the conduct of DNA-related activity level evaluations. Here, we look at how challenges are being met, primarily by providing a synopsis of DNA-TPPR-related articles published since the conduct of these reviews and briefly exploring some of the actions taken by industry stakeholders towards addressing identified gaps. Much has been carried out in recent years, and efforts continue, to meet the challenges to continually improve the capacity of forensic experts to provide the guidance sought by the judiciary with respect to the transfer of DNA.

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Shifting forensic science focus from means to purpose: A path forward for the discipline?

Cited by 42 publications

References 51 publications

Integrity, Trustworthiness, and Effectiveness: Towards an Ethos for Forensic Genetics

Integrity, Trustworthiness, and Effectiveness: Towards an Ethos for Forensic Genetics

Advancing a paradigm shift in evaluation of forensic evidence: The rise of forensic data science

DNA Transfer in Forensic Science: Recent Progress towards Meeting Challenges

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