Ballantyne Kaye N, Summersby Stephanie, Pearson James R, Nicol Katherine, Pirie Erin, Quinn Catherine, Kogios Rebecca
Victoria Police Forensic Services Department, 31 Forensic Drive, Macleod, 3085, Victoria, Australia.
Forensic Sci Int Synerg. 2024 May 4;8:100474. doi: 10.1016/j.fsisyn.2024.100474. eCollection 2024.
There have been numerous calls for increased transparency and disclosure in forensic science. However, there is a paucity of guidance on how to achieve this transparency in reports, and the impacts it may have on criminal justice proceedings. We describe one multi-disciplinary forensic laboratory's journey to fully transparent reporting, disclosing matters of scientific relevance and importance. All expert reports across 17 disciplines now contain information regarding the fundamental principles and methodology, validity and error, assumptions and limitations, competency testing and quality assurance, cognitive factors, and areas of scientific controversy. Staff support for transparent reporting increased following introduction, with most reporting largely positive impacts. A slight increase in questioning in court has been experienced, with increased legal attention paid to the indicia of scientific validity. Transparency in expert forensic science reports is possible, and can improve the use of scientific evidence in courts without compromising the timeliness of service.
对于提高法医学的透明度和信息披露，已经有诸多呼吁。然而，关于如何在报告中实现这种透明度以及它可能对刑事司法程序产生的影响，却缺乏相关指导。我们描述了一个多学科法医学实验室迈向完全透明报告的历程，披露具有科学相关性和重要性的事项。现在，涵盖17个学科的所有专家报告都包含了有关基本原则和方法、有效性和误差、假设和局限性、能力测试和质量保证、认知因素以及科学争议领域的信息。引入透明报告后，工作人员的支持有所增加，大多数人报告称产生了很大的积极影响。在法庭上出现了轻微的质疑增加情况，同时法律对科学有效性指标的关注度也有所提高。专家法医学报告的透明度是可行的，并且可以在不影响服务及时性的情况下，改善法庭上科学证据的使用。
