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Case Assessment and Interpretation Flashcards

1
Q

what is expected from forensic scientists from the court and police (2)

A

intelligence on topics people do not know about

providing evidence and timely scientific support

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2
Q

what is expected of forensic scientists from the politicians and rest of society (3)

A

rapid results which are not always achievable
an objective opinion
crime reduction and prevention

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3
Q

what is CAI

A

a logical detailed assessment of what you are doing before you open the evidence bag

consider what you have been asked to do and what is needed for the case

not done in all countries but done in UK

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4
Q

why was CAI brought about

A

in the 1998

the forensic science service had a large backlog and long turnaround times

drowning in unnecessary analysis times and struggling to meet deadlines

failing to meet needs of court and police

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5
Q

what is the purpose of CAI (7)

A
  1. improve the use of resources
  2. improve decision making process
  3. prevent wasting time
  4. service the needs of the justice system
  5. need for the people asking to be more specific (eliminate term forensicate)
  6. improve relationships between police and scientists
  7. give value
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6
Q

why is preventing wasting time important

A

for case turnaround as the demand can be high for scientists

things that take longer = higher cost

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7
Q

what could be correlated to people not submitting evidence because of the cost that comes with it

A

miscarriages of justice

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8
Q

what two things must be set in CAI

A

your propositions

prosecution and defence ones

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9
Q

when is a proxy proposition necessary

what is this also called

A

when the offender gives a no comment so we are unaware of the defence being put forward

could also be called the alternative proposition - in the absence of this it is impossible to evaluate your findings

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10
Q

give two common defence strategies

A

self defence
contamination during evidence collection or analysis

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11
Q

is case context necessary in CAI

A

yes, in order to set your propositions and set your examination strategy by considering what is needed for the case

be careful of bias though - even if it is subconscious

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12
Q

what is the forensic strategy

what 7 things does it involve

A

a systematic approach to gathering and analysing evidence to make interpretations that can be presented in court

involves:
evidence identification
preservation
examination + analysis
documentation
interpretation
reporting
expert testimony

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13
Q

what does CAI enhance in the evidence you present

A

THE VALUE OF IT

value is not the lowest cost

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14
Q

what document provides information of CAI for experts in forensic science

A

the best practice manual for crime scene investigation from ENFSI

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15
Q

give two things to be considered when you are setting you examination strategy

A

probative value of methods

destructive techniques

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16
Q

what is there a need for in your CAI

A

good communication of the expected outcomes

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17
Q

what are the two elements of CAI

A

assessment = how you are going to manage your evidence, what analyses you are going to prioritise

interpretation = how are you going to report the findings in a logical, quantitative and accessible way to aid the understanding of what you have done to others

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18
Q

what are the three stages in CAI

A
  1. customer requirement, need and case info
  2. pre-assessment, determine forensic strategy and make propositions
  3. examination, evaluate outcome, interpret and report
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19
Q

what should you do if a customer directs you to an examination strategy you feel is inappropriate

A

advise them why and suggest how else it should be done with their aims still present

discuss the limitations with them

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20
Q

what are the aims and benefits of case pre assessment (5)

A
  1. can consider potential findings beforehand
  2. set out most appropriate examination strategy
  3. find hypotheses
  4. set the findings you will prioritise
  5. assign probabilities to the LR and then these can be refined when the evidence has been analysed
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21
Q

what statement is good to include at the beginning of your report

A

if further evidence or info comes to light it may be necessary for me to reconsider my conclusions

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22
Q

in the assessment of evidence, what are the hierarchy of propositions

A

sub source
source
activity
offence

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23
Q
A
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24
Q

give an example of a sub source proposition

A

two DNA profiles matching

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25
Q

give an example of a source proposition

A

the blood on X’s clothing came from Y

the glass fragment came from window X

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26
Q

give an example of an activity proposition

A

Mr A was present when the window was smashed

Mr has sexual intercourse with Mrs

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27
Q

give an example of an offence proposition

A

Mr A committed the burglary

Mr assaulted Mr

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28
Q

what type of propositions can expert witnesses generally only give

A

source or sub source

29
Q

how much evidence does an activity level proposition generally need

A

more than 1

30
Q

why cant we give activity level propositions

A

due to evidence transfer
and we weren’t actually there so it would be hearsay

31
Q

who determines offence level propositions

A

the court/jury

32
Q

give 5 things CAI requires to be effective

A
  1. good communication between parties
  2. an understanding of the requirements
  3. agreement on a forensic strategy
  4. understand the expected outcomes
  5. explore the staged approach when needed
33
Q

what are the three stages in the forensic process

A

investigation
evaluation
adjudication (court)

34
Q

does everything from crime scene examination reach the court

A

no it is not always needed

35
Q

what is the staged approach in forensic science

what three things does this ensure

A

a part of CAI = a systematic process used by investigators to examine and analyse evidence

used as a flow chart

ensures the thoroughness, accuracy and reliability

36
Q

what are the 8 stages in the staged approach

A
  1. incident or arrest
  2. recognition - identify potential evidence
  3. documentation - contemporaneous notes, sketch, photos
  4. collection - use of tools and techniques avoiding evidence contamination and damage
  5. preservation - package, label, store
  6. analysis - scientific methods
  7. interpretation - draw conclusions based on scientific findings
  8. reconstruction - of events based on evidence
37
Q

how does the staged approach help forensic scientists (7)

A
  1. ensure we have clear understanding of case and issues
  2. defines propositions for testing
  3. adds value to scientists role
  4. agreed forensic strategy
  5. prevents time and money wasting
  6. prevents overloading of samples
  7. ensure everyone is doing the same process
38
Q

what is Bayesian reasoning in forensic science

A

applying Bayesian probability theory to evaluate and interpret forensic evidence within the context of a criminal investigation for legal purposes

39
Q

what are the key elements involved in Bayesian Reasoning in forensic science
(5)

A
  1. prior odds
  2. likelihood ratio
  3. Bayes theorem
  4. posterior odds
  5. making informed decisions
40
Q

what does Bayesian reasoning help us do in forensic science (3)

A

quantify and integrate the strength of evidence into the overall case

assessing the significance of our findings by enhancing objectivity and reliability of expert testimony in court

make informed decisions

41
Q

what is bayes theorem

A

a statistical principle used to assess the probability of a hypothesis

quantifying how strongly evidence supports or rejects a hypothesis

42
Q

what are the two categories in Bayes Theorem

A

logic = addressing probability of evidence given the hypothesis and the background information

balance = address the two propositions and if only one can be addresses state why and give a proxy proposition

43
Q

what must be stated about the propositions you put forward

A

they are subject to change based on new info or when you actually start analysing the evidence

44
Q

what are the 4 pieces that make up bayes theorem

combined what do these provide

A

I = case/background information
E = scientific evidence
Hp = prosecution hypothesis
Hd = defence hypothesis or alternative proposition

the likelihood ratio

45
Q

What is the likelihood ratio and what is it used for

A

a statistical measure of quantifying the strength of evidence

weighs the two propositions against each other and see which is supported more strongly

the probability of the evidence given the prosecution hypothesis and information divided by the defence hypothesis and information

46
Q

what kind of probabilities does the likelihood ratio use

A

conditional probabilities

47
Q

what are the prior odds

A

the odds of a hypothesis before any new evidence has been taken into account

your initial belief on the likelihood of the hypothesis being true or false

48
Q

what are the posterior odds

A

the updated odds of the hypothesis after the evidence has been examined

calculated by doing prior odds x likelihood ratio

49
Q

what happens if only one proposition can be given by the scientist

A

it is fine for the expert can only address one proposition but this should be made clear and the fact they cannot evaluate the strength of the evidence

50
Q

what is transposing the conditional

should it be done

what is this a synonym for

give an example of a case where this was seen

A

the probability of the proposition (the accused being guilty) given the evidence

no

the prosecutors fallacy

R vs Doheny

51
Q

give an example of a statement that represents transposing the conditional

A

normal = assuming our subject is a basketball player would be fair to conclude he is tall

transposing the conditional = assuming they are tall assumes they are a basket ball player

52
Q

what happened in the R vs Doheny Case

A

considering DNA profile matches
expert witness was misled to answering a question and he gave his opinion that the accused left the stain at the scene
he transposed the conditional due to the questions he was being asked on the stand

53
Q

what is the base rate and how is this calculated

A

this is the prior odds of an event occurring in the absence of background info or evidence

represents the general occurrence of something in everyday life of a given population

calculated = the probability of the event e.g the probability of a certain crime happening the a city

BASED ON CONDITIONAL PROBABILITIES

54
Q

what does a likelihood ratio of more than 1 support

A

supports prosecution hypothesis

55
Q

what does a likelihood ratio of 0 support

A

neutral - supports neither hypothesis

56
Q

what does a likelihood ratio of less than 1 support

A

supports defence hypothesis

57
Q

how do we get the values used in calculating likelihood ratios

A

use estimated values based on past cases from the experts professional experience or using databases e.g the laboratory management system

58
Q

what likelihood ratio value extremely strongly supports the hypothesis

A

more than 1 million

59
Q

what likelihood ratio value very strongly supports the hypothesis

A

10,000 - 1 million

60
Q

what likelihood ratio value strongly supports the hypothesis

A

1,000 - 10,000

61
Q

what likelihood ratio value moderately strongly supports the hypothesis

A

100 - 1,000

62
Q

what likelihood ratio value moderately supports the hypothesis

A

10 - 100

63
Q

what likelihood ratio value weakly supports the hypothesis

A

1 - 10

64
Q

what is there no need to examine all evidence that has been submitted (3)

A

reduce cost and turnaround time

too much info can confuse people

take the staged approach and only use what is needed

65
Q

what are potential evidence types you many come across in the assessment part of CAI

how will these affect the order you analyse things

A

blood
urine
DNA
fibres
hairs
paints

think what is likely to persist longer and examine that last

66
Q

what two things do you need to consider when deciding the order of analysing different evidence types

A

transfer and persistance

transfers can be direct or indirect

67
Q

what things affect the transfer of evidence (7)

A

pressure

number of contacts

how easily it transfers

liquid or solid

how much is involved in the contact

substrates transferred to and from

weather conditions - how evidence will persist (degradation)

68
Q

what are the expectations of the expert in the interpretation of evidence they have analysed (8)

A

explain to the non expert

clear and concise

good communication

good scientific methods

don’t use misleading statements like might have or could have

explore all reasons for the outcomes you found

use of propositions and likelihood ratio

clear methods and examination strategy

69
Q

what is an example of a case that shows as an expert you need to consider other possible reasons for the outcomes you found

A

the Birmingham Six

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