Fifty Years of Forensic Science

Dr. Niamh Nic Daéid has over 20 years experience as a forensic scientist and expert witness.?Her specialist areas include fire investigation, drug analysis and the statistical and Bayesian evaluation and evidence. She has published and delivered over 80 research papers and presentations in international journals and at conferences. She is a lead assessor for CRFP and a member of a number of ENFSI working groups.?Her current areas of research include drug profiling, fire investigation and the statistical interpretation of data.

• Preface IntroductionSECTION I: THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF FORENSIC SCIENCE1 (1) - 1960 Criminal aspects of forensic science in Great Britain4 (2) - 1964 Forensic science or sciences?4 (4) - 1964 Shriving a science5 (1) - 1965 A public image5 (2) - 1965 Don’t forget them in Swahililand6 (2) - 1966 The vacant headquarters9 (2a) - 1969 Six just men9 (2b) - 1969 “A forensic scientist?”13 (3) - 1973 I hold every man a debtor to his profession14 (2) - 1974 Police perimeters – politics or planning17 (4) - 1977 Theory and practice20 (3) - 1980 Forensic Science – a broader basis21 (1) - 1981 General practice in forensic science24 (6) - 1984 Does forensic science have a future?24 (6) - 1985 Does forensic science have a future?25 (1) - 1985 But is it anything?25 (1) - 1985 But is it anything?25 (5) - 1985 Towards expert experts26 (2) - 1986 Doctrine, Science, Belief, Evidence26 (4) - 1986 The Forensic Science Society – a way forward?26 (5) - 1986 All systems go?27 (2) - 1987 Police productivity29 (1) - 1989 Professional qualifications – a milestone30 (5) - 1990 Brave New World31 (2) - 1991 “Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher”31 (4) - 1991 Forensic science on the quality track32 (2) - 1992 But is this being professional?32 (4) - 1992 Can we help you, sir?33 (3) - 1993 Is this where the buck stops?34 (1) - 1994 An expert what?34 (2) - 1994 Quo vadis?35 (1) - 1995 Does forensic science give value for money?35 (3) - 1995 Rensacor35 (4) - 1995 Lest we forget36 (3) - 1996 Forensic futurology36 (4) - 1996 Ambivalence – a problem for forensic science37 (1) - 1997 Private or public37 (3) - 1997 Jobs for the boys38 (1) - 1998 Proactive forensic science38 (4) - 1998 SOP or CPD, place your bets39 (1) - 1999 Forensic apartheid?39 (2) - 1999 Let me through, I’m a ummmm . . .39 (3) - 1999 Something nasty hiding . . .39 (4) - 1999 From Bach to Schoenberg42 (2) - 2002 A professional body for forensic scientists45 (1) - 2005 Professionalism – duties and privileges45 (3) - 2005 Who guards the guards?45 (4) - 2005 Everything changes and nothing is constant47 (2) - 2007 Eight years on47 (2) - 2007 Eight years on – Regulation of Forensic Physicians and the CRFP47 (3) - 2007 CPD, an effective means of professional development. . .or is it?48 (1) - 2008 President of the Forensic Science Society48 (3) - 2008 The forensic science regulatorSECTION II: SCIENTIFIC DEVELOPMENTS AND RESEARCH2 (2) - 1961 The individuality of human bloodstaining3 (1) - 1962 A breakthrough in forensic science4 (1) - 1963 Driving over the level4 (1) - 1963 Science before the fact5 (4b) - 1964 The price of road safety6 (1) - 1965 Progress in research7 (4) - 1966 Demanding scientific evidence9 (4) - 1968 Computer control11 (2) - 1971 The defeat of the tail-gater11 (3) - 1971 The New Zealand approach14 (1) - 1974 Back to basics16 (3b) - 1976 An independent witness required19 (4) - 1979 Publish or perish22 (2) - 1982 But is it science . . .22 (3) - 1982 Hair today . . .25 (2) - 1985 On body fluid frequencies26 (1) - 1986 Publish or perish revisited27 (1) - 1987 Through the looking glass29 (6) - 1989 The highest order common sense30 (1) - 1990 Profile of the Nineties30 (6) - 1990 Official publications33 (4) - 1993 DNA or Abracadabra36 (1) - 1996 To research or capitulate?36 (2) - 1996 Fireproof DNA?37 (4) - 1997 Where will all the forensic scientists go?40 (1) - 2000 Wizards and gatekeepers at the roadside?40 (3) - 2000 The consent of the governed41 (1) - 2001 The use of material from the dead in forensic science research: is it lawful and is it ethical?43 (1) - 2003 Hunting truffles44 (1) - 2004 Reiterative justice?45 (2) - 2005 Science & Justice – DNA and the courts47 (4) - 2007 DNA – what’s next?48 (4) - 2008 Do we value research?49 (1) - 2009 Lessons from the past49 (2) - 2009 IRMSSECTION III: EVALUATION AND INTERPRETATION OF EVIDENCE19 (3) - 1979 Away with the fuzz23 (1) - 1983 Patience23 (1a) - 1983 Statistics and forensic science – a fruitful partnership23 (1b) - 1983 The probability of exclusion or likelihood of guilt of an accused: Paternity23 (1c) - 1983 The probability of non-discrimination or likelihood of guilt of an accused: Criminal Identification23 (1d) - 1983 What is the probability that this blood came from that person? A meaningful question?23 (1e) - 1983 A frame of reference or Garbage in, Garbage out23 (4) - 1983 On circumstantial evidence26 (3) - 1986 Evaluation of associative physical evidence26 (3a) - 1987 The use of statistics in forensic science.26 (3b) - 1987 The use of statistics in forensic science.28 (3) - 1988 Heads we win37 (2) - 1997 Does justice require less precision than chemistry?43 (2) - 2003 Sally Clark – a lesson for us all44 (2) - 2004 Context-free forensic science46 (1) - 2006 Lies, damn lies and statisticsSECTION IV: EDUCATION IN FORENSIC SCIENCES2 (1) - 1961 Research and teaching in forensic science2 (1) - 1961 A preliminary survey of education and research in the forensic sciences in the United Kingdom9 (1&2) - 1968 Education in forensic science11 (1) - 1971 What is the future for the study and practice of the forensic sciences in Britain?16 (2) - 1976 The Greeks had a word for it44 (4) - 2004 Wither academic forensic science?48 (2) - 2008 Educating the next generation48 (4) - 2008 Educating the next generation.48 (4) - 2008 Educating the next generation.49 (1) - 2009 Educating the next generation.SECTION V: FORENSIC SCIENCE AND THE LAW1 (2) - 1960 An expert witness looks at the courts3 (2) - 1962 The design of law courts6 (4) - 1965 Bowlers, brollies and bi-focals8 (1) - 1967 The expert witness8 (2) - 1967 Two encouraging cases10 (1) - 1970 Law and order12 (2) - 1972 There is a time to speak12 (3) - 1972 Not Pygmalion likely12 (4) - 1972 Where have all the lawyers gone?13 (2) - 1973 An honest opinion15 (3) - 1975 Modern times16 (3a) - 1976 A camel is a horse. . .17 (2&3) - 1977 The four letter swear word18 (3&4) - 1978 Not for the faint hearted19 (2) - 1979 Preliminary hearings – just or unjust – justified or unjustified20 (2) - 1980 The canons of expertise24 (2) - 1984 Have you heard the one about . . . . . .24 (5) - 1984 Master or servant?25 (4) - 1985 Don’t Panic27 (4) - 1987 Philosophy and obligations of a state-funded forensic science laboratory27 (5) - 1987 Answers are easy29 (2) - 1989 Science and law, a marriage of opposites34 (3) - 1994 The image of the scientist and the lawyer38 (2) - 1998 The role of the forensic scientist in an inquisitorial system of justice40 (2) - 2000 And what of the evidence!41 (3) - 2001 The boundaries of expert evidence41 (4) - 2001 Reform of the criminal justice system in England and Wales42 (3) - 2002 Justice in a goldfish bowl42 (4) - 2002 Gristle in the sausage. . .43 (3) - 2003 Coroners – what next for death investigation in England and Wales?44 (3) - 2004 The Human Tissue Bill – an opportunity about to be missed?46 (2) - 2006 All’s fair in love and warSECTION VI: FORENSIC MEDICINE5 (4a) - 1964 The smallest room but one7 (3) - 1966 Decline and fall10 (3) - 1970 How much specialisation in pathology can we afford?12 (1) - 1972 “The six-and-a-half-year itch”13 (4) - 1973 For action this day14 (4) - 1974 Chair legs wanted15 (2) - 1975 That muddy field16 (1) - 1976 A national medico-legal service for Scotland19 (1) - 1979 Sudden death of British nationals abroad – problem for pathologists, coroners and relatives41 (2) - 2001 “Best value” in forensic pathology42 (1) - 2002 Herding catsSECTION VII: AN INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY OF FORENSIC SCIENCE9 (3) - 1968 Another Academy15 (4) - 1975 International co-operation in forensic science17 (1) - 1977 Crime in the cornfields23 (2) - 1983 Reaching out24 (1) - 1984 1984 and all that27 (3) - 1987 Forensic science and the justice system in the late Twentieth Century29 (4) - 1989 Echoes of Empire30 (2) - 1990 A matter of choice30 (4) - 1990 They threatened its life with a railway share38 (3) - 1998 International forensic science40 (4) - 2000 Courts, politicians and constitutions46 (3) - 2006 It’s a big World out thereIndex