Statistics and the Evaluation of Evidence for Forensic Scientists
Chapter One
Uncertainty in Forensic
Science
1.1 INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this book is to discuss the statistical and probabilistic evaluation
of scientific evidence for forensic scientists. For the most part the evidence to be
evaluated will be so-called transfer or trace evidence.
There is a well-known principle in forensic science known as Locard's principle
which states that every contact leaves a trace:
tantot le malfaiteur a laisse sur les lieux les marques de son passage, tantot, par
une action inverse, il a emporte sur son corps ou sur ses vêtements, les indices de
son sejour ou de son geste. (Locard, 1920)
Iman and Rudin (2001) translate this as follows:
either the wrong-doer has left signs at the scene of the crime, or, on the other
hand, has taken away with him - on his person (body) or clothes - indications of
where he ... read full excerpt from Statistics and the Evaluation of Evidence for Forensic Scientists ebook
