133 research outputs found
Miscarriages of Justice and the Role of the Expert Witness
No full textThis chapter examines the role of the expert witness and the ways in which it has been both informed and formed by the high-profile miscarriages of justice. The expert witness is alone in the courtroom in being able to give opinion evidence and is there to assist the court with elucidating and presenting information about a specialist subject which is outside the expertise of the jury. This anomalous role was developed during the eighteenth century and the ability to give an opinion remains the primary factor that separates the role of the expert witness from that of other witnesses in court. In addition to the issue of non-disclosure, the appeals into the Maguire Seven, Birmingham Six and Judith Ward all exposed the problem of bias in relation to the evidence given by the expert witnesses. The experts were accused of having lost their impartiality.</p
Statistics and the Expert Witness
No full textThis chapter considers the use of statistics within forensic science, especially its relevance to the interpretation of evidence, and presentation of that interpretation to the court of law. It looks at the areas in which the expert witness and statistics interact, and the responsibilities of the expert witness in relation to those interactions using examples from court cases to illustrate some issues which have been encountered. An expert witness presents evidence and opinion on a field in which they hold expertise through study and research, and that their expertise has to be beyond that which is expected of a member of the jury. The Appeal Court has issued guidance for practitioners, experts and the judiciary in English courts, where their concern is for the introduction of Bayes’ theorem as evidence because of its potential to confuse the fact-finder and thus lead to miscarriages of justice.</p
Introduction:the DVI casebook, UK incidents
No full textA professional and successful disaster victim identification (DVI) deployment relies on preparedness, advanced communication networks, inter-agency cooperation, crisis management capabilities, efficient implementation of emergency plans, and a response by trained personnel. In any mass fatality event an early, rapid deployment of a DVI reconnaissance team led by an experienced DVI commander is essential if the requirements of victim recovery and identification are to be met to the standard of excellence required. A "Gold," "Silver," "Bronze" command structure (or, respectively, Strategic, Tactical, and Operational) is used by UK emergency services to establish a hierarchical framework for the command and control of major incidents and disasters, including mass fatality incidents (MFIs). While this system does not explicitly signify hierarchy of rank, the chain of command loosely follows rank order, with the most senior and experienced officers tending to occupy key roles. This structure was adopted for response to disasters; however, it has been successfully used for all manner of preplanned operations, including football matches and firearms operations. The individuals for each element of the team are selected largely as a result of the police area (Figure 1.1) in which the incident occurs and in recognition of their training and experience
Lucina: Die Göttin an der Schwelle
Full text linkOvid, antique’s best-known author, paints Lucina as an ambiguous sorceress, volatilely answering prayers. Still, allegoric representations of Lucina relating to the Spanish rulers and high society are found in Spanish literature, art, architecture and tractates. The pagan gods are revived in Renaissance art and do not fit into Christian moral codes nor qualify as praiseworthy saints, but nevertheless maintain a prevailing source of allegories and figurative images. Lucina’s appearances in Francisco Núñez’s obstetrical tractate Libro intitulado del parto humano, Pedro Ruiz de Camargo’s painting in the Arch of Santa María of Burgos, Michele Parrasio’s canvas. She appears on the frontispiece of Alonso Carranzas legal treatise Disputatio de vera human partus naturalis et legitimi designatione. The painter Lorenzo Lotto portraits Lucina Brembati and the Goddess is praised in the Academias literarias on the occasion of Carlos II birth. The allegoric representations of the Goddess are described and interpreted. Lucina appears as a midwife with aspects of Juno, Venus, Luna and the Virgin Mary and is blamed when misfortune strikes.
This contribution is based on the Master Thesis Lucina - Römische Göttin der Geburt in der spanischen Frühen Neuzeit
Episode 1:The Discovery of a Crime
No full textThe battered body lay at the bottom of the staircase in a Broughty Ferry mansion house near Dundee. Over 100 years later the murderer hasn’t been found.In this first episode, Pennie Latin introduces the scene through the words of Sergeant John Forbes who was the first person to see the body of Miss Jean Milne. From there we speak with a range of experts who are involved with the process of examining and protecting a crime scene including Professors Niamh Nic Daeid and Lucina Hackman from the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science at the University of Dundee, Detective Constable Helen Ireland, Alex Prentice QC and Jo Millington a forensic scientist who specialises in blood stain pattern analysis. Through their words we explore what evidence was visible, how it might be useful to solving the crime and the relationships between the professionals involved in an investigation
Episode 4:Dating a death
No full textNow we know the cause of death of Miss Jean Milne we return to the witness reports and the crime scene to determine how forensic science experts and the investigation team work backwards to create a timeline to determine the date of death. This episode discusses a potentially important piece of evidence that was found at the scene. CONTENT WARNING: This episode looks at content relating to murder and what happens to a body after death has taken place.For further discussion and resources relating to the podcast please visit our Facebook group.Speakers in this episode include Professor Lucina Hackman from the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science, Detective Constable Helen Ireland, Forensic Pathologist Kerryann Shearer, Alex Prentice QC, Commander Dave McLaren from the Metropolitan Police Service, fingerprint expert Caroline Gibb and Jo Millington a forensic scientist who specialises in blood stain pattern analysis reveals a key piece of evidence from the scene. The series is narrated by Pennie Latin, the researcher was Heather Doran (Public Engagement Manager at the LRCFS) consultant Pauline Mack (Learning technologist at the LRCFS).Inside Forensic Science is an Adventurous Audio Ltd production for the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science at the University of Dundee and was funded by The Leverhulme Trust
Communication, forensic science and the Law
Full text linkThe communication of forensic science within the criminal justice process has been highlighted as an issue in a series of high profile reports dating back more than a decade. A forensic scientist has to be able to effectively communicate complex scientific ideas across multidisciplinary borders including the police, lawyers and jurors, whilst concurrently being restrained by processes and procedures which exist within the criminal justice process. Communication research has begun to be undertaken to try and clarify and identify what causes some of the problems in communicating forensic science, to suggest how these might be addressed and to assess the efficacy of new approache
Culture-mythological and linguistic analysis of the Roman goddess’s name Lucina
No full textThe author of the article analyses the Roman goddess’s name Lucina. The stages of the goddess’s functioning are marked out: from the epithet to the names of Juno and Diana to the independent deity. The author considers the ancients’ views on the moon, which plays an important role in Lucina’s cult development. The etymology of the name Lucina and the word «moon» are regarded.В статье проводится анализ имени римской богини Луцины. На основе толкований имени, предлагаемых различными мифологическими словарями, выделяются этапы функционирования Луцины: от эпитета Юноны и Дианы до самостоятельного божества. Рассматриваются представления древних о луне, которая, по мнению автора статьи, играет важную роль в формировании культа Луцины. В лингвистическом анализе имя Луцины и слово луна возводятся к индоевропейскому корню *leuk - «светить»
The reliability of the Greulich and Pyle Atlas when applied to a modern Scottish population
No full textThis study examines the reliability of age estimation utilizing the Greulich and Pyle atlas in relation to a modern Scottish population. A total of 406 left-hand/wrist radiographs (157 females and 249 males) were age-assessed using the Greulich and Pyle atlas. Analysis showed that there was a strong correlation between chronological age and estimated age (females R(2) = 0.939, males R(2) = 0.940). When age groups were broken down into year cohorts, the atlas over-aged females from birth until 13 years of age. The pattern for males showed that the atlas under-estimated age until 13 years of age after which point it consistently over-aged boys between 13 and 17 years of age. This study showed that the Greulich and Pyle atlas can be applied to a modern population but would recommend that any analysis takes into account the potential for over- and under-aging shown in this study
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