Understanding 'error' in the forensic sciences: A primer

Kristy A Martire¹, Jason M Chin², Carolyn Davis³, Gary Edmond⁴, Bethany Growns⁵, Stacey Gorski⁶, Richard I Kemp¹, Zara Lee⁷, Christopher M Verdon⁸, Gabrielle Jansen⁹, Tanya Lang³, Tess M S Neal¹⁰, Rachel A Searston¹¹, Joshua Slocum⁷, Stephanie Summersby¹², Jason M Tangen¹³, Matthew B Thompson^{14

15}, Alice Towler¹³, Darren Watson¹⁶, Melissa V Werrett¹⁷, Mariam Younan¹, Kaye N Ballantyne¹²

Affiliations

¹ School of Psychology, University of New South Wales Sydney, Australia.
² College of Law, ANU, Australia.
³ Major Crime Scene Unit, Victoria Police Forensic Services Department, Australia.
⁴ School of Law, Society & Criminology, University of New South Wales Sydney, Australia.
⁵ School of Psychology, Speech and Hearing, University of Canterbury, New Zealand.
⁶ Biological Sciences Group, Victoria Police Forensic Services Department, Australia.
⁷ Fingerprint Sciences Group, Victoria Police Forensic Services Department, Australia.
⁸ Drug Sciences Group, Victoria Police Forensic Services Department, Australia.
⁹ Morwell Forensic Hub, Victoria Police Forensic Services Department, Australia.
¹⁰ Department of Psychology, Iowa State University, USA.
¹¹ School of Psychology, The University of Adelaide, Australia.
¹² Office of the Chief Forensic Scientist, Victoria Police Forensic Services Department, Australia.
¹³ School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Australia.
¹⁴ School of Psychology, Murdoch University, Australia.
¹⁵ Centre for Biosecurity and One Health, Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, Australia.
¹⁶ Ballistics Unit, Victoria Police Forensic Services Department, Australia.
¹⁷ Chemical Trace Unit, Chemical and Physical Sciences Group, Victoria Police Forensic Services Department, Australia.

PMID: 39005839
PMCID: PMC11240290
DOI: 10.1016/j.fsisyn.2024.100470

Review

Understanding 'error' in the forensic sciences: A primer

Kristy A Martire et al. Forensic Sci Int Synerg. 2024.

. 2024 Apr 29:8:100470.

doi: 10.1016/j.fsisyn.2024.100470. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ School of Psychology, University of New South Wales Sydney, Australia.
² College of Law, ANU, Australia.
³ Major Crime Scene Unit, Victoria Police Forensic Services Department, Australia.
⁴ School of Law, Society & Criminology, University of New South Wales Sydney, Australia.
⁵ School of Psychology, Speech and Hearing, University of Canterbury, New Zealand.
⁶ Biological Sciences Group, Victoria Police Forensic Services Department, Australia.
⁷ Fingerprint Sciences Group, Victoria Police Forensic Services Department, Australia.
⁸ Drug Sciences Group, Victoria Police Forensic Services Department, Australia.
⁹ Morwell Forensic Hub, Victoria Police Forensic Services Department, Australia.
¹⁰ Department of Psychology, Iowa State University, USA.
¹¹ School of Psychology, The University of Adelaide, Australia.
¹² Office of the Chief Forensic Scientist, Victoria Police Forensic Services Department, Australia.
¹³ School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Australia.
¹⁴ School of Psychology, Murdoch University, Australia.
¹⁵ Centre for Biosecurity and One Health, Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, Australia.
¹⁶ Ballistics Unit, Victoria Police Forensic Services Department, Australia.
¹⁷ Chemical Trace Unit, Chemical and Physical Sciences Group, Victoria Police Forensic Services Department, Australia.

PMID: 39005839
PMCID: PMC11240290
DOI: 10.1016/j.fsisyn.2024.100470

Abstract

This paper distils seven key lessons about 'error' from a collaborative webinar series between practitioners at Victoria Police Forensic Services Department and academics. It aims to provide the common understanding of error necessary to foster interdisciplinary dialogue, collaboration and research. The lessons underscore the inevitability, complexity and subjectivity of error, as well as opportunities for learning and growth. Ultimately, we argue that error can be a potent tool for continuous improvement and accountability, enhancing the reliability of forensic sciences and public trust. It is hoped the shared understanding provided by this paper will support future initiatives and funding for collaborative developments in this vital domain.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Kristy A. Martire reports financial support was provided by Victoria Police Forensic Services Department. Richard I. Kemp, Rachel A. Searston, Alice Towler, Jason M. Tangen, Gary Edmond, Matthew B. Thompson and Kristy Martire report financial support was provided by 10.13039/501100000923Australian Research Council. Tess M. S. Neal reports financial support was provided by PLuS Alliance Fellowship and Australian-American Fulbright Commission. Carolyn Davis, Stacey Gorski, Zara Lee, Christopher M. Verdon, Gabrielle Jansen, Tanya Lang, Joshua Slocum, Stephanie Summersby, Darren Watson, Melissa V. Werrett and Kaye N. Ballantyne report a relationship with Victoria Police Forensic Services Department that includes: employment. Jason M. Chin is an Editor at Forensic Science International: Synergy. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

References

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Understanding 'error' in the forensic sciences: A primer

Affiliations

Understanding 'error' in the forensic sciences: A primer

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

References

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