Bitzer Sonja, Albertini Nicola, Lock Eric, Ribaux Olivier, Delémont Olivier
Ecole des Sciences Criminelles, Université de Lausanne, Batochime, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
Police Cantonale Vaudoise, Service d'Identité Judiciaire, Centre Blécherette, 1014 Lausanne, Switzerland.
Sci Justice. 2015 Dec;55(6):509-13. doi: 10.1016/j.scijus.2015.05.005. Epub 2015 Jun 6.
In an attempt to grasp the effectiveness of forensic science in the criminal justice process, a number of studies introduced some form of performance indicator. However, most of these indicators suffer from different weaknesses, from the definition of forensic science itself to problems of reliability and validity. We suggest the introduction of the concept of utility of the clue as an internal evaluation indicator of forensic science in the investigation. Utility of the clue is defined as added value of information, gained by the use of traces. This concept could be used to assess the contribution of the trace in the context of the case. By extension, a second application of this concept is suggested. By formalising and considering, a priori, the perceived utility of using traces, we introduce the notion of expected utility that could be used as decision factor when choosing which traces to use, once they have been collected at the crime scene or from an object in the laboratory. In a case-based approach, utility can be assessed in the light of the available information to evaluate the investigative contribution of forensic science. In the decision-making process, the projection or estimation of the utility of the clue is proposed to be a factor to take into account when triaging the set of traces.
为了掌握法医学在刑事司法程序中的有效性，一些研究引入了某种形式的绩效指标。然而，这些指标大多存在不同的缺陷，从法医学本身的定义到可靠性和有效性问题。我们建议引入线索效用的概念，作为法医学在调查中的内部评估指标。线索效用被定义为通过使用痕迹获得的信息附加值。这一概念可用于评估痕迹在案件背景下的贡献。进而，建议对这一概念进行第二种应用。通过先验地形式化和考虑使用痕迹的感知效用，我们引入了预期效用的概念，当在犯罪现场或实验室从物体上收集到痕迹后，在选择使用哪些痕迹时，预期效用可作为决策因素。在基于案例的方法中，效用可以根据现有信息进行评估，以评估法医学的调查贡献。在决策过程中，线索效用的预测或估计被提议作为对痕迹集进行分类时要考虑的一个因素。
