Science & JusticePub Date : 2024-04-26DOI: 10.1016/j.scijus.2024.04.003
Kiu Nga Leung, Sherry Nakhaeizadeh, Ruth M. Morgan
{"title":"A global survey of the attitudes and perspectives of cognitive bias in forensic anthropology","authors":"Kiu Nga Leung, Sherry Nakhaeizadeh, Ruth M. Morgan","doi":"10.1016/j.scijus.2024.04.003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scijus.2024.04.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>It is now well established that decision making can be susceptible to cognitive bias in a broad range of fields, with forensic science being no exception. Previously published research has revealed a bias blind spot in forensic science where examiners do not recognise bias within their own domain. A survey of 101 forensic anthropology practitioners (n = 52) and students (n = 38) was undertaken to assess their level of awareness of cognitive bias and investigate their attitudes towards cognitive bias within forensic anthropology. The results revealed that the forensic anthropology community (∼90%) had a high level of awareness of cognitive bias. Overall ∼89% expressed concerns about cognitive bias in the broad discipline of forensic science, their own domain of forensic anthropology, and in the evaluative judgments they made in reconstruction activities, identifying a significant reduction in the bias blind spot. However, more than half of the participants believed that bias can be reduced by sheer force of will, and there was a lack of consensus about implementing blinding procedures or context management. These findings highlight the need to investigate empirically the feasibility of proposed mitigating strategies within the workflow of forensic anthropologists and their capabilities for increasing the transparency in decision making.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-04-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1355030624000303/pdfft?md5=f3804c5d9a6179ca05fa6803d1540604&pid=1-s2.0-S1355030624000303-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140824790","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Science & JusticePub Date : 2024-04-24DOI: 10.1016/j.scijus.2024.04.006
Abby K. Jones , Nur Hidayah Shamsuddin , Chong Chin Heo
{"title":"Lucilia cuprina (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Calliphoridae): A potentially forgotten forensically important species in Malaysia","authors":"Abby K. Jones , Nur Hidayah Shamsuddin , Chong Chin Heo","doi":"10.1016/j.scijus.2024.04.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scijus.2024.04.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><em>Lucilia cuprina</em> (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) has been collected in human forensic case work. This species is endemic in Malaysia but is not one of the most common species and is often found in outdoor cases. However, it is hypothesized that the presence of <em>L. cuprina</em> larvae may provide useful information in forensic case studies in Malaysia where this species has previously been ignored. This review will discuss the current background knowledge on <em>L. cuprina</em>, particularly when it comes to other forensic cases in Malaysia. General biology as well as key information for forensic work such as geographical distribution and developmental data will be reviewed. Finally, we discuss the potential for <em>L. cuprina</em> to provide beneficial and unique forensic insight into indoor cases with refuse.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140790028","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}
Science & JusticePub Date : 2024-04-23DOI: 10.1016/j.scijus.2024.04.007
Patrick H. Home , Danielle G. Norman , Kimberley Wade , Emily Spearing , Mark A. Williams
{"title":"3D scanning a crime scene to enhance juror understanding of Bloodstain Pattern Analysis evidence","authors":"Patrick H. Home , Danielle G. Norman , Kimberley Wade , Emily Spearing , Mark A. Williams","doi":"10.1016/j.scijus.2024.04.007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scijus.2024.04.007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>There are numerous crime scene investigation applications of 3D scanning that have been previously documented. This paper documents the application of a 3D point cloud in the presentation of Bloodstain Pattern Analysis evidence to mock jurors. 150 mock jurors viewed a presentation of Bloodstain Pattern Analysis evidence from a murder trial in the UK. After viewing the evidence, the participants were tested on their knowledge of the evidence and repeated the test again 2 weeks later; to simulate criminal trial conditions; whereby there is a time lapse between the initial viewing of evidential material and deliberation. This paper found that the mock jurors who additionally viewed a 3D flythrough of a point cloud of the crime scene, better retained knowledge of the evidence over time, reported a greater ability to visualise the crime scene and had higher levels of interest in the evidence. Crucially, the 3D flythrough group did not report different levels of confidence in the accuracy of their memories of the evidence, nor different levels of emotional arousal to the group that viewed the evidence without the 3D presentation. Together, these findings suggest that 3D scanning of crime scenes, and the resultant point cloud’s presentation to jurors, could add further value to the justice system when spatial information, such as Bloodstain Pattern Analysis evidence, is presented.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1355030624000340/pdfft?md5=f2cb363813543501a1275638a299567d&pid=1-s2.0-S1355030624000340-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140645978","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Science & JusticePub Date : 2024-04-21DOI: 10.1016/j.scijus.2024.04.005
Joana Rosa , Luís A.E. Batista de Carvalho , Maria Paula M. Marques , Maria Teresa Ferreira , David Gonçalves , Francisco P.S.C. Gil
{"title":"XRF identification of sharp-force trauma in fresh and dry human bone under varied experimental heat conditions","authors":"Joana Rosa , Luís A.E. Batista de Carvalho , Maria Paula M. Marques , Maria Teresa Ferreira , David Gonçalves , Francisco P.S.C. Gil","doi":"10.1016/j.scijus.2024.04.005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scijus.2024.04.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Heat-induced fractures can be hard to distinguish from sharp force traumas. This challenge can negatively impact medico-legal analysis. The present study aimed to experimentally assess if X-ray fluorescence (XRF) can be used to detect chemical traces transferred from the blade of a sharp instrument onto both fresh and dry human bones. This was performed by inducing sharp force traumas with five different instruments on 20 fresh and 20 dry human clavicles. All bone samples were probed before and after experimental burning (at 500 °C, 700 °C, 900 °C and 1100 °C). Our results show that XRF is potentially useful for detecting iron traces in fresh human bone, both unburned and burned. However, we were not able to clearly detect iron traces from the blades in bones that have been previously inhumed, since exogenous iron acquired during diagenesis masks the iron traces originating from the blade.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1355030624000327/pdfft?md5=52e1dfb6f09a043abfe76d64a79090ee&pid=1-s2.0-S1355030624000327-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140638795","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Species discrimination from hair using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy: Application in wildlife forensics","authors":"Dimple Bhatia , Chandra Prakash Sharma , Sweety Sharma , Rajinder Singh","doi":"10.1016/j.scijus.2024.04.002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scijus.2024.04.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Hair is a commonly encountered trace evidence in wildlife crimes involving mammals and can be used for species identification which is essential for subsequent judicial proceedings. This proof of concept study aims, to distinguish the black guard hair of three wild cat species belonging to the genus <em>Panthera</em> i.e. Royal Bengal Tiger (<em>Panthera tigris tigris</em>), Indian Leopard (<em>Panthera pardus fusca</em>), and Snow Leopard (<em>Panthera uncia</em>) using a rapid and non-destructive ATR-FTIR spectroscopic technique in combination with chemometrics. A training dataset including 72 black guard hair samples of three species (24 samples from each species) was used to construct chemometric models. A PLS2-DA model successfully classified these three species into distinct classes with R-Square values of 0.9985 (calibration) and 0.8989 (validation). VIP score was also computed, and a new PLS2DA-V model was constructed using variables with a VIP score ≥ 1. External validation was performed using a validation dataset including 18 black guard hair samples (6 samples per species) to validate the constructed PLS2-DA model. It was observed that PLS2-DA model provides greater accuracy and precision compared to the PLS2DA-V model during cross-validation and external validation. The developed PLS2-DA model was also successful in differentiating human and non-human hair with R-Square values of 0.99 and 0.91 for calibration and validation, respectively. Apart from this, a blind test was also carried out using 10 unknown hair samples which were correctly classified into their respective classes providing 100 % accuracy. This study highlights the advantages of ATR-FTIR spectroscopy associated with PLS-DA for differentiation and identification of the Royal Bengal Tiger, Indian Leopard, and Snow Leopard hairs in a rapid, accurate, eco-friendly, and non-destructive way.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-04-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140638481","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}
Science & JusticePub Date : 2024-04-19DOI: 10.1016/j.scijus.2024.04.004
Petra Švábová , Katarína Hanzelyová , Mária Chovancová , Soňa Masnicová , Radoslav Beňuš
{"title":"The importance of assessing the ghosting phenomenon in dynamic footprints when estimating stature – Forensic implications","authors":"Petra Švábová , Katarína Hanzelyová , Mária Chovancová , Soňa Masnicová , Radoslav Beňuš","doi":"10.1016/j.scijus.2024.04.004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scijus.2024.04.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In cases where multiple footprints are found at a crime scene, it is unusual that all are static, and some are likely dynamic. Depending on how the footprint was made, we distinguish between dynamic and static footprints. A distinguishing feature that has only recently been associated with dynamic footprints is the fact that dynamic footprints differ from static footprints by the presence of additional markings around the back of the heel and the tops of the toe prints, the so-called ghosting phenomenon. The present study aims to analyse the ghosting phenomenon on dynamic footprints – its occurrence in relation to sex, laterality, and different areas of footprints as well as length features. Additionally, it aims to investigate the assessment of the ghosting phenomenon on dynamic footprints when estimating stature for biological profiling in the forensic field. The study sample comprised of 170 young adults aged 18 – 30 years of both biological sexes. Stature was measured and dynamic footprints were obtained where the ghosting phenomenon was analysed together with length measurements of the same footprint with and without ghosting. In the first and second toes of footprints, the ghosting phenomenon occurred most frequently in both sexes and in the sex-mixed group. Sex differences were not significant in ghosting occurrence on right and left footprints (p > 0.05), except for the area of the left fifth toe (p = 0.045). All the footprints’ lengths with ghosting were significantly higher (p < 0.001) than those without ghosting. Statures calculated from footprint length measurements with ghosting predicted stature more accurately than statures calculated from the same footprint length measurements without ghosting. In the case of finding dynamic footprints at crime scenes, it is necessary to correctly identify and evaluate ghosting of the footprint. This comparison can be helpful in interpreting how ghosting should be taken into account when estimating a person's stature.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1355030624000315/pdfft?md5=3a25e18bcc914767abe821c519dc2cab&pid=1-s2.0-S1355030624000315-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140645979","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Science & JusticePub Date : 2024-04-04DOI: 10.1016/j.scijus.2024.04.001
Charlotte Primeau , Danielle G. Norman , Waltraud Baier , Sofia Goia , Stuart Blaik , Mark A. Williams
{"title":"Micro-CT in a forensic examination of a fatal child abuse case: A case report","authors":"Charlotte Primeau , Danielle G. Norman , Waltraud Baier , Sofia Goia , Stuart Blaik , Mark A. Williams","doi":"10.1016/j.scijus.2024.04.001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scijus.2024.04.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Child abuse is a serious concern that can cause the death of a child. In such cases the medico-legal evidence is often pivotal but complex, drawing across multiple medical disciplines and techniques. One key specialism is histopathology, which is considered the gold standard for estimating the age of individual fractures. Another is micro-CT imaging, which can visualise the location of trauma across the body. This case report demonstrates how micro-CT was used to contextualise the histological evidence in the Criminal Justice Proceedings of a fatal child abuse case. This was achieved by overlaying the aged fracture evidence from histopathology onto the visuals rendered from micro-CT imaging. The case was a suspected child abuse of a deceased 1-month old infant who was reported unresponsive by their parents. The child was taken to hospital where they were pronounced dead. Suspicion was raised and post-mortem imaging confirmed head trauma and rib fractures, and the case was escalated for a forensic investigation. This case report details how the micro-CT imaging was merged with the gold standard of histopathology for visualisation of trauma, and how the court presentation was planned alongside Senior Investigating Officers and various medical experts. The presentation was used in court by the histopathologist to present the evidence. The resulting presentation provided additional clarity to jury members regarding the location, severity, frequency, and timings of the injuries. From the perspective of the investigating police force, the resulting presentation was crucial in ensuring understanding of the medico-legal evidence of how the infant died. The prosecuting lawyer noted that combining the histological and micro-CT evidence in this way allowed the evidence to be presented in a sensitive, clear, and impactful manner.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1355030624000285/pdfft?md5=1a59a41e0dca899213473668a77f5dd6&pid=1-s2.0-S1355030624000285-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140620919","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}