Science & Justice最新文献

{"title":"Chronological age and crime: A review of how Swedish Courts evaluate age evidence","authors":"Moa Lidén ,&nbsp;Marie Allen","doi":"10.1016/j.scijus.2026.101410","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scijus.2026.101410","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In criminal cases, age estimations are not only commonly occurring but also tremendously influential e.g. for determining whether an individual is old enough to be held responsible as well as the appropriate sentencing. In this research we review 61 Swedish cases focusing on the 15, 18 and 21 years thresholds, which entailed varying forensic, oral and documentary age evidence. The findings suggest e.g. that age estimations are most commonly used for sentencing issues (18/21 years) and that forensic age evidence is more influential than other types of age evidence. When the case concerned a violent crime, the odds that the Courts concluded that an individual was 18 years or older were 38 times higher when there was supporting forensic evidence supporting, while no corresponding trends were seen for oral and documentary age evidence. The research highlights both methodological and human sources of error to be addressed in research and legal practice.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":"66 2","pages":"Article 101410"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147397215","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Encapsulation of degraded DNA in alginate hydrogels: Rheological characterization and applicability to forensic science","authors":"Colin I. Elliott ,&nbsp;Theresa Stotesbury","doi":"10.1016/j.scijus.2025.101378","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scijus.2025.101378","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Forensic biomaterials are on the rise, with efforts focused on developing realistic tissue and blood mimetics. The incorporation of small and degraded DNA into these materials enhances their realism and functionality, which has implications for research and training across forensic science. It is therefore important to understand the physicochemical and conformational changes that DNA undergoes during <em>ex vivo</em> degradation. Large fragments of highly concentrated genomic and phage DNA in solution have been characterized using rheology; however, this amount and size of DNA are atypical in DNA extracted from forensic evidence. In this work, we investigated how the addition of synthetic DNA oligos and genomic DNA extracted from bloodstains deposited for up to 19 months influenced the rheological properties of polymer systems intended for forensic biomaterial synthesis. We used FTIR spectroscopy to probe interactions between DNA and the encapsulating matrix and automated gel electrophoresis to record DNA quality/quantity metrics, both of which supported our rheological findings. Encapsulating DNA within an alginate-based, ionically crosslinked hydrogel produced the greatest differentiation in rheological profiles among DNA with varying physical properties. The distinct conformations and sizes of encapsulated DNA oligos exhibited significantly different responses during strain amplitude sweeps (p &lt; 0.05). We also observed moderate correlations between the rheological responses of DNA extracts and the time since deposition of corresponding bloodstains (<em>r</em> = −0.57 to <em>r</em> = 0.62). This indicates that dilute, polydisperse and degraded genomic DNA extracts can modulate the rheological properties of the encapsulating hydrogel, highlighting the need to consider the type of DNA included in forensic biomaterials. Our results demonstrate the potential for rheology to serve as a complementary technique when analyzing encapsulated dilute DNA oligos and degraded DNA.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":"66 2","pages":"Article 101378"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145845534","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"BM1: Events Guide","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/S1355-0306(26)00025-0","DOIUrl":"10.1016/S1355-0306(26)00025-0","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":"66 2","pages":"Article 101419"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147649955","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prelim 3: Contents","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/S1355-0306(26)00024-9","DOIUrl":"10.1016/S1355-0306(26)00024-9","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":"66 2","pages":"Article 101418"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147650007","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"DNA recovery from 3D printed firearms","authors":"Flynn Thomas Oltrogger ,&nbsp;Greg Howe ,&nbsp;Dennis McNevin ,&nbsp;Matthew Bolton ,&nbsp;Caroline O’Driscoll ,&nbsp;Stephen Woodcock","doi":"10.1016/j.scijus.2026.101409","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scijus.2026.101409","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Over the last few years, additive manufacturing, by means of fused deposition modelling 3D printing, has become increasingly popular and accessible due to the relative low costs, flexibility, and continually lowering barriers for entry. Unfortunately, while this technology is not only used by hobbyists for creative or practical creation of custom objects using a variety of thermoplastic materials, they can also be used in the manufacture of firearms. From fully printed to hybrid designs, AM/3D printing has been used to produce parts for fully functional firearms capable of discharging conventional ammunition. The designs for such firearms can be easily found, downloaded and shared from the internet with ‘enthusiasts’ developing ever more sophisticated designs.</div><div>In environments where lawful possession of firearms is strongly controlled, the ability to manufacture and assemble firearms through 3D printing technologies presents an increasing challenge for law enforcement, especially for forensic units tasked with collection, examination and recovery of evidence from these items. Forensic examination of 3D printed firearms can require a different approach compared to conventional firearms if maximum forensic intelligence is desired. Due to the decentralised and often individual nature of manufacture, biometric identification of both the handler/possessor and the manufacturer/assembler of the firearm can have investigative value. However, this can present a dilemma, as collection of biometric evidence from internal surfaces of the firearm typically requires dismantling of components which may affect functionality in subsequent test firing processes.</div><div>This study aims to investigate DNA transfer and recovery on 3D printed firearms (Harlot pistols and FGC-9) in casework-inspired handling scenarios, to determine the most probative regions for the recovery of DNA originating from the assembler and handler of such firearms as well as determining the effect of firing (or test-firing) the firearm. The findings suggest that assembler DNA can be recovered from internal surfaces of the firearms, with significantly more DNA recovered from internal grip pieces than internal triggers. Further, the proportions of assembler DNA recovered on internal surfaces were significantly more than the proportions on external surfaces, based on contributor proportion percentages. In this study, test firing of the firearm, even up to 25 times, did not result in detectable DNA relocation onto internal surfaces from the individual conducting the test fires.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":"66 2","pages":"Article 101409"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147397213","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From awareness to Action: Embedding a trauma informed toolkit for the teaching of sensitive topics in Victimology and forensic science","authors":"Carrie Mullen ,&nbsp;Karen Hammond ,&nbsp;Suzanne Gallacher-Graham ,&nbsp;Helen Tidy ,&nbsp;Heather Myles","doi":"10.1016/j.scijus.2026.101402","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scijus.2026.101402","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper presents a conceptual and practice-informed contribution to trauma-informed teaching within forensic science, supported by a focused review of relevant literature. Sensitive topics such as violence, trauma and victimisation are essential elements of forensic science curricula, yet the discipline lacks structured pedagogical guidance to help educators deliver this material safely. Drawing together key evidence from trauma-informed education, psychology and criminal justice, alongside insights from the authors’ own teaching practice, this paper identifies the emotional risks faced by students and the potential for educator desensitisation. These strands of evidence inform the development of a practical trauma-informed teaching toolkit designed to enhance psychological safety, support student autonomy and strengthen resilience in learning environments. By offering actionable strategies and outlining institutional considerations, the paper proposes a framework for embedding trauma-informed approaches across forensic science education to better prepare students for the emotional realities of professional practice.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":"66 2","pages":"Article 101402"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147397409","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The architecture of failure — A cross-national lifecycle analysis of forensic science governance breakdowns","authors":"Michael P. Kessler","doi":"10.1016/j.scijus.2026.101405","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scijus.2026.101405","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Forensic science failures are often portrayed as isolated technical errors or individual misconduct, yet major inquiries across multiple jurisdictions consistently reveal structural breakdowns across the forensic science evidence lifecycle. This manuscript examines seventeen high-impact forensic science failures in the United States, England and Wales, Scotland, Australia, and Canada using a structured documentary analysis of inquiry reports, regulatory findings, accreditation actions, judicial decisions, and oversight reviews. Each case was systematically coded for lifecycle stage of failure origin and detection, breached governance imperatives, and implicated governance domains.</div><div>Across jurisdictions and forensic science disciplines, failures clustered at four predictable lifecycle stages: scientific analysis and interpretation; documentation and contextual capture; reporting and communication of findings; and post-conviction retention and reanalysis. In most cases, failures originated upstream but were detected only downstream—most commonly through litigation, public inquiry, or post-conviction review—revealing a persistent misalignment between error emergence and system correction. Recurrent violations of core governance obligations, including scientific humility, embedded oversight, preservation of contextual meaning, integrity over output, and infrastructure protection, corresponded to systemic weaknesses in validation, oversight, resourcing, accountability, and institutional learning.</div><div>These findings demonstrate that major forensic science failures are fundamentally lifecycle–governance failures rather than discipline-specific anomalies. The integrated lifecycle–governance framework developed here provides a coherent basis for diagnosing forensic science system fragility and for explaining how failures emerge, propagate, and recur across jurisdictions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":"66 2","pages":"Article 101405"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147397214","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Lens correction techniques and their application in forensic photogrammetry","authors":"Kevin Gilmore ,&nbsp;Geoffrey T. Desmoulin","doi":"10.1016/j.scijus.2026.101403","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scijus.2026.101403","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the field of forensics, digital media, such as images and videos, can become key pieces of evidence in any investigation. However, to correctly use images and videos for analysis and measurement, the images must be geometrically true. As such, it is essential to perform correction of the distortion of the images caused by the lens of the camera, as is recommended by forensic photography best practices and guidelines. In order to quantify the error associated with this correction, 3 techniques were compared: control point, straight-line, and manual lens correction. An idealized digital image was first created with no distortion, which was then distorted to 10 varying severities. Each resulting image was then corrected by each of the 3 techniques to attempt to remove the distortion. The level of distortion remaining was quantified by examining specific pixel locations before distortion and after correction. The results of the study found that the control point technique outperformed both others, with the manual technique outperforming the straight-line method. In regard to the application in forensics, the control point technique is the most accurate and also provides camera location information, and thus is the most suitable for use.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":"66 2","pages":"Article 101403"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147397410","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Crimino-forensic applications to arson prevention: spatiotemporal factors","authors":"Tess Meyer ,&nbsp;David Keatley ,&nbsp;John Coumbaros ,&nbsp;Brendan Chapman","doi":"10.1016/j.scijus.2026.101400","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scijus.2026.101400","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Crime is known to distribute unevenly across space and time, leading to the formation of crime clusters. Similarly, incidences of arson have shown clustering, which allows for the investigation of hotspotting techniques for analysis. Geographical hotspot mapping typically only views arson through a single lens, but predictions may be improved by including criminological factors in analysis and through the integration of temporal analysis with spatial analysis.</div><div>This study aimed to incorporate additional variables alongside traditional geographical hotspotting to investigate arson using Western Australian bushfire data from 2017 to 2023. The data were analysed temporally and spatially for discernible trends in fire-setting in the suspicious and deliberately lit subset. The geographical hotspots were measured against criminological factors that were hypothesised to facilitate (e.g. proximity to petrol service stations and main roads) or deter (e.g. proximity to police/fire stations and water bodies) arson.</div><div>When analysing the temporal characteristics of the data increased number of bushfires occurred during warmer seasons and times of leisure such as weekends. Spatial clustering of fires was also demonstrated through 21 hotspots, all concentrated around urban and populated areas. When measuring these geographical hotspots against the criminological characteristics, a statistically significant difference was observed between arson facilitators and deterrents. This is the first study to combine criminological theory, spatio-temporal analysis, and geographic hotspotting techniques to establish fire patterns and clusters. This research paves the way for the development of a proximity prediction method which may identify areas targeted by fire-setters and allow for preventative policing in these locations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":"66 2","pages":"Article 101400"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146078612","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Missing persons response: national programs and global cooperation in Brazil’s migration context","authors":"Aline Minervino ,&nbsp;António Amorim ,&nbsp;Francisco Corte Real ,&nbsp;Laura Cainé","doi":"10.1016/j.scijus.2025.101379","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scijus.2025.101379","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The search and identification of missing persons represent a pressing global issue with profound humanitarian, legal, and institutional implications. This study presents an illustrative documentary review of MP/UHR identification initiatives in countries selected for their migration-related links to Brazil and their relevance to transnational DNA cooperation (Brazil, Portugal, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Belgium). Grounded in the United Nations guidelines and using peer-reviewed literature, official reports, and documentation from international organizations, the analysis examine how forensic genetics is integrated into MP/UHR workflows, the legal and governance frameworks that enable or constrain the processing of relatives’ reference profiles, and the operational arrangements that support cross-border exchange. The synthesis indicates that identification outcomes depend not only on laboratory capacity, but also on institutional coordination and the linkage of <em>ante-mortem</em> and <em>post-mortem data</em>. The study also describes international mechanisms such as INTERPOL’s I-Familia database, and humanitarian identification platforms. Although these tools show great potential, their effectiveness is limited due to inconsistent adoption across countries and variations in national protocols. The identification of missing persons must be approached as a shared international responsibility, requiring cooperation in science, law, and policy to ensure dignity, truth, and justice for families of the missing.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":"66 2","pages":"Article 101379"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145886459","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}