Thumb on the Scale

July 25th, 2008   Filed Under DNA, Foresnics  

Guest post from Dan E Krane:

What makes scientific evidence so powerful in court is very simple: it’s supposed to be scientific.  That means that it is supposed to be objective and completely independent of the subject of an investigation (a suspect or a defendant).  It is therefore absolutely shocking that DNA testing laboratories routinely put themselves in a situation where specific information about a subject’s DNA profile might influence their interpretation of an evidence sample.

 

Last December, eleven prominent experts from around the US and even Scotland met in Washington, DC to discuss the problem of examiner bias/context effect in DNA profiling.  Given the breadth of expertise and roles of these experts it surprised many of us that we were able to not only agree about the magnitude and nature of the problem, but also to a solution.  The result was the generation of a position paper that has been published in this month’s Journal of Forensic Sciences (http://www.bioforensics.com/articles/sequential_unmasking.html).

 

Our bold and surprisingly controversial recommendation is the essence of simplicity: analysts should interpret evidence samples, at least initially, without any knowledge of the DNA profile of any suspects being investigated.  Arguments to the contrary are ludicrous and are generally equivalent to a student demanding to see an answer key prior to taking an exam because that makes it so much easier for them to come up with the right solutions.  Information about a suspect’s DNA profile does help with the interpretation of evidence samples in the resolution of surprisingly common ambiguities that lend themselves to a variety of alternative interpretations.  But, using a defendant’s profile in that way is unequivocally wrong and invariably works to their disadvantage at the same time that it seriously undermines the scientific nature of the test.

 

Please help us spread the word that DNA profiles should always be interpreted objectively.  More information about the authors of this position paper and the opportunities for subjective interpretation of DNA evidence is available at the Forensic Bioinformatics web site (www.bioforensics.com).  It will also be a topic for discussion during our annual meeting coming up in just a few more weeks.

 

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Upcoming Conference for Forensic Bioinformatics

July 24th, 2008   Filed Under Conference, Crime Lab, DNA  

Here is the plug: Forensic Bioinformatics is holding its expert forum on the science of DNA profiling on August 15 through 17. This will be our seventh annual meeting in Dayton and I think you will agree that the program is one of our best ever.We have always been fortunate in being able to get prominent experts to share their insights and learn from each other at this meeting and this year is not an exception. Notable speakers for this year’s forum include: Simon Ford; Christine Funk; Keith Inman; Roger Koppl; Larry Mueller; Gabe Oberfield; D. Michael Risinger; Tania Simoncelli; and Bill Thompson.Last year’s introductory parallel session run by Christine Funk on the first day of the forum was so successful that we have decided to build the whole first day of this year’s meeting (Friday, August 15) around it. This set of presentations for less experienced attorneys with cameo appearances from world-renowned experts is intended to bring relative new-comers to the field up to speed on the technical aspects of DNA profiling so they can appreciate the cutting edge discussions about DNA databases and statistical issues associated with DNA test results on the days that follow.This year we are again offering the opportunity to generate your own DNA profile (from DNA extraction to statistical interpretation) during the day of Thursday, August 14. Keith Inman from Forensic Analytical will be running this special workshop using Wright State University facilities for the first ten conference attendees who express an interest in this $200 course.Early registration ($295) for this year’s expert forum runs through August 1 and represents a $130 savings over the full registration cost. Groups of four or more can obtain a 20% discount and a limited number of scholarships are still available upon request.As always, much more information about the speakers, their talks and the meeting in general (including registration forms and hotel information) are available at the Forensic Bioinformatics web site (www.bioforensics.com). 

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