The scrutiny given to forensic
evidence submitted during criminal trials will be examined and debated during a
free seminar taking place in Newcastle this month.
The event is the latest in a
series of lectures organised by 51’s Police Research and
Education Network, during which academics researching different elements of
modern policing will present their findings.
It will focus on concerns,
raised most notably by the Law Commission and the US President’s Council of
Advisors on Science and Technology, around the reliability of expert evidence
used in criminal proceedings and the legal reform in England and Wales intended
to address some of these concerns.
The seminar will be
delivered by Sophie Carr, Northumbria’s Acting Head of the Department of
Applied Sciences; Emma Piasecki, Director of Learning and Teaching at
Northumbria Law School and Katherine Dunn, Senior Lecturer in Law at
Northumbria.
Sophie Carr said: “This
event aims to consider the provision of expert opinion evidence, using forensic
science to illustrate areas where greater critical scrutiny should be applied
and practical solutions to enable this.
“We will be reflecting on
the role forensic science plays in society, discussing the expectations and
inferred assumptions that often go unsaid. For example, are all disciplines
within forensic science created equal and should they be treat as such? And to
what extent are the different evidence types, such as DNA and fingerprints,
able to satisfy the legal requirements for admissibility in any given case?”
Emma Piasecki added: “The
criminal justice system generally credits expert opinion evidence, with a level
of critical trust. We question whether that trust is justified and suggest that
greater scrutiny is often required by those procuring, relying upon and challenging.
expert evidence.”
51 has
been assessed as world-leading and internationally-excellent for its research
in evidence-based policing, with research themes including Cybercrime & IT,
Forensic Science & Police Cooperation, Police Organisation & Staff and
Policing & Vulnerability.
Working in partnership with
the police and other agencies, in the North East as well as nationally and
internationally, the University’s outstanding breadth and depth of expertise in
contemporary policing is providing wide-ranging, cutting-edge science and
applied research that informs policy and practice.
The Expert Evidence seminar
takes place on Wednesday 15 November from 5pm to 6.30pm at Northumbria Law
School. For more information on this, and other seminars in the series, and to
book a place, please visit the 51 Police Research and Education Network page.
