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doi: 10.1080/00450618.2018.1438770pmid: N/A
AbstractIn this article, originally delivered as an address to the Australian Academy of Forensic Sciences on its 50th anniversary, the author – a past President – reflects on the past, present and future of the Academy. In the review of the past, he recalls the personality of Dr O.R. Schmalzbach who founded the Academy and initiated the successful mix of topics and members in the first 25 years. He then reviews the changes that came about producing the present Academy with more women members, scientists and less ceremony. Looking to the future, he concludes that there will be no going back to the old ways. However, he suggests initiatives to broaden the definition of ‘forensic sciences’ beyond primary attention to bench science. He also encourages the revival to some degree of the participation of the leaders of the medical and legal professions and their engagement with the issues of science and society or forensic sciences, broadly envisaged.
Roux, Claude; Ribaux, Olivier; Crispino, Frank
doi: 10.1080/00450618.2018.1485738pmid: N/A
Forensic science has been at the crossroads for over a decade. While this situation is a fertile ground for discussion, security problem solving and the sound administration of justice cannot be put on hold until solutions pleasing everyone emerge. In all practical reality, forensic science will continue to be applied because it is simply the most reliable way to reconstruct the past through the exploitation of relics of criminal activities and by logical treatment of the collected information. In this paper, it is argued that instead of exclusively focusing on error management and processes, we should also question the very ontological nature of forensic science. Not only should the dominant conception of forensic sciences as a patchwork of disciplines assisting the criminal justice system be challenged, but forensic science’s own fundamental principles should also be better enunciated and promoted so they can be more broadly accepted and understood. Such changes invite operations, education and research to become more collective and interdisciplinary. This is necessary to fully exploit the investigative, epidemiological, court and social functions of forensic science. We ought to ask the question: will forensic science reach the end of the crossroads soon?
doi: 10.1080/00450618.2018.1439101pmid: N/A
AbstractBased on a plenary lecture presented at the 50th Anniversary of the Australian Academy of Forensic Sciences Symposium (November 2017) this article reviews the literature relating to the communication of forensic science evidence using statistical statements. Five dimensions of communication are identified: consistency, sensitivity, coherence, ability and orthodoxy. The review also considers the strengths and weaknesses of lay comprehension as well as opportunities for improving understanding through reflection and collaboration.
doi: 10.1080/00450618.2017.1422022pmid: N/A
AbstractThe discipline of forensic anthropology has its roots in physical anthropology with early practitioners focusing on areas of study such as human growth and development, physiological adaptation, anthropometry and biomechanics. While it is axiomatic that forensic anthropologists have a detailed understanding of the human skeleton, it is the practitioners’ expertise in the analysis of differentially preserved human remains that today is at the heart of the discipline. In addition to the context of the case (whether a missing person, disaster victim identification, war grave recovery, cases of political, ethnic or religious violence, or questions pertaining to the living), the preservation and condition of the remains inevitably influences the extent to which the forensic anthropologist plays a role. This paper outlines different contexts where forensic anthropologists have contributed to forensic cases, and reflects on the influence of geography (and therefore political context) on the volume of cases requiring the expertise of forensic anthropologists in different countries. Consideration is then given to the developing state of professional practice and research in forensic anthropology, as well as the expanding repertoire of the forensic anthropologist’s work.
doi: 10.1080/00450618.2018.1461930pmid: N/A
Humanitarian forensic science is the application of the knowledge and skills of forensic medicine and science to humanitarian action, especially following conflicts or disasters. It sprouted from the experience of the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team and was shaped by International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law. It has been further developed by the International Committee of the Red Cross, especially since 2003. Since then, there have been many lessons learned. Forensic science has a humanitarian application as well as being a tool for justice. Identification of the dead is an essential component of the proper involvement of a forensic professional in dealing with human remains. Managing large numbers of deaths following a disaster or in a post-conflict environment, from the point of view of human identification, is a completely different exercise compared with everyday work. Meaningful forensic action in large-scale post-conflict or post-disaster settings may not be the exclusive preserve of forensic experts. Improving the capacity of a forensic system to identify the dead requires improvement of the forensic system generally.
Cheung, Elaine Y. Y.; Gahan, Michelle Elizabeth; McNevin, Dennis
doi: 10.1080/00450618.2017.1422021pmid: N/A
AbstractEstablishment of national DNA databases in Australia and overseas has increased the number of criminal convictions, yet a high volume of serious crime cases remain with no suspect profile nor any DNA database matches. In these circumstances prediction of biogeographical ancestry (BGA) and externally visible characteristics can assist by providing forensic intelligence in conjunction with, or in place of, eyewitness testimonies. To predict the BGA of an individual requires: genetic markers selected for their ability to differentiate between BGAs; representative BGA reference populations; and a prediction algorithm (‘classifier’) that predicts the BGA of an unknown individual based on genetic markers in the reference populations. The human genome contains autosomal ancestry informative markers that are easily harvested from publicly accessible collections of genotypes with associated ancestry information. A number of classification methods are available including Bayesian approaches and distance-based algorithms. BGA is likely to be continuous rather than discrete and some methods are inappropriate for the prediction of admixed BGA. As predictive services become available to the public and private sectors, there is a risk of results being misinterpreted if an inappropriate tool is applied. Understanding the underlying marker sets, reference populations and classification algorithms is required to prevent ill-informed predictions.
Maitre, M.; Kirkbride, K. P.; Horder, M.; Roux, C.; Beavis, A.
doi: 10.1080/00450618.2018.1457718pmid: N/A
AbstractGunshot residues (GSR) are a common form of evidence in cases involving questions related to the association of a person of interest (POI) to a firearm-related event. GSR analyses currently focus on the detection and characterisation of the inorganic components of GSR (IGSR), which are typically particles composed of lead, barium and antimony originating from the primer. However, certain particles cannot be assigned to IGSR with a high degree of confidence due to possibility of being derived from industrial or domestic sources. Moreover, the increasing prevalence of the use of heavy metal-free ammunition challenges the current protocols used for IGSR analysis. In order to provide complementary evidence to IGSR particles, the current study focused on detecting the organic components (OGSR) arising from ammunition propellant. As the study focuses on the persistence of OGSR, three compounds well known as being part of OGSR were selected: ethyl centralite (EC), diphenylamine (DPA) and N-nitrosodiphenylamine (NnDPA). The study assessed the retention of OGSR traces on a person’s hands up to 1 h after they had discharged a firearm.
de la Hunty, Mackenzie; Moret, Sébastien; Chadwick, Scott; Lennard, Chris; Spindler, Xanthe; Roux, Claude
doi: 10.1080/00450618.2018.1424243pmid: N/A
Physical Developer (PD) is an underutilized technique for the development of latent marks on porous surfaces that have been wet, or as a subsequent technique in a development sequence. It is a multistep technique that works by selectively reducing silver ions to silver metal at nucleating sites in fingermark residue. Its use is associated with a plethora of issues, largely surrounding the inherent instability of the working solution. Recently, one of the components of the working solution, Synperonic N, has ceased production, and the recommended replacement is Tween 20. This article addresses factors during PD processing using Tween 20, other than reagent formulations that should be considered when using the technique.
Lam, Rylee; Lennard, Chris; Kingsland, Graham; Johnstone, Paul; Symons, Andrew; Wythes, Laura; Fewtrell, Jeremy; O’Brien, David; Spikmans, Val
doi: 10.1080/00450618.2018.1424242pmid: N/A
AbstractEnvironmental forensic investigations can be complex because pollutants are often not visible, making it difficult to determine the types of pollutants and their source. Emergency scenarios require immediate action to protect environmental and/or human health, and having limited knowledge of these pollutants makes this complicated. Recent advancements in field-portable instrumentation pave the way for rapid on-site analyses for real-time monitoring of hazardous compounds at incident sites, thereby providing valuable intelligence to direct subsequent actions. Fires can pose significant risk to human and/or environmental health through the release of hazardous compounds in smoke or run-off water from firefighting activities. Monitoring the release of hazardous organic compounds from fires typically requires complex sampling and laboratory-based protocols. Results from such protocols are not immediately available to first responders. Site risk assessment and management would therefore benefit from accurate in-field identification of the release of hazardous organic compounds. A portable Gas Chromatograph – Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS) was evaluated for the identification of hazardous organic compounds in air and water samples at fire scenes. Preliminary results demonstrated that deployment of such instrumentation has the potential to provide first responders with a rapid on-site assessment tool, allowing for more proactive protection of environmental and human health.
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