Human identification: a review of methods employed within an Australian coronial death investigation system.

Whilst many identification methods have been widely described and discussed in the literature, and considered in disaster and humanitarian contexts, there has been limited reporting and evaluation of the identification methods used in domestic medico-legal death investigation contexts. The aim of this study was to evaluate the identification methods utilised at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (VIFM), which forms part of a coronial medico-legal death investigation system. The method of identification and time taken to complete the identification were reviewed for all cases admitted to the VIFM over a five-year period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2020. The majority, 91%, of individuals admitted to the VIFM were visually identified. The remaining 9% of cases required identification by primary methods (i.e. fingerprints, DNA or dental) or, when those methods were not possible, by secondary methods (i.e. circumstantial). Visual identifications were the timeliest, taking an average of 1.5 days, whilst primary identification methods required an average of 5 days to complete. The triaging of identification methods, dependent on the case context, body preservation, availability of ante-mortem data, legal requirements and admissibility of the method, are determined by identification coordinators within the Human Identification Service (HIS) to ensure the most appropriate and timely method is employed. This review of human identification methods provides the foundation for future analyses to compare workflow processes and improve identification methods utilised in domestic medico-legal contexts.

Medicolegal evaluation of cases with burn trauma: Accident or physical abuse.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Burns are thermal injuries that may have a wide variety of clinical consequences from simple injuries to mortality. There are many aspects that must be medicolegally addressed in both non-survivors and survivors from burn injuries. The objective of this study was to determine sociodemographic characteristics, injury patterns, treatment requirements and prognoses of patients with burn injuries to evaluate the findings of neglect-abuse and forensic reporting processes. This study also aimed to contribute to the medicolegal classification criteria in respect of the factors that have an effect on the prognosis in the analyses. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The study was conducted by retrospective review of digital files and paper records of patients who received therapy in the Burns Unit of KTU Farabi Hospital between 1st January, 2013, and 31st December, 2017. RESULTS: Evaluation was made of a total of 1225 patients, comprising 769 (62.8%) males and 456 (37.2%) females, with a mean age of 21.8 ± 23.8 years (range, 1-89 years). The mean burnt body surface area was 14.29 ± 13.74. A trauma-related psychiatric disorder was diagnosed in 60 (4.9%) patients during treatment. When the medical history and physical examination findings were evaluated together, burn injuries suggested physical abuse in 54 patients (4.4%). The doctors who evaluated the patients with burn injuries in the emergency room and those who applied treatment in the Burns Unit made a forensic notification for 379 (30.9%) patients. The mean age of non-survivors was significantly higher than that of patients who survived to discharge (56.54 ± 28.60 years for non-survivors and 19.39 ± 23.12 years for survivors; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Burn injuries are frequently encountered, and they require precautionary measures. Burn injuries due to abuse are more frequently observed in the elderly and especially in children. Thus, the findings must be correctly interpreted, and more effort should be made to improve the knowledge of healthcare professionals about forensic reporting. Moreover, regulations should be implemented in respect of the medicolegal classification of trauma.

A cost-effectiveness analysis of the number of samples to collect and test from a sexual assault.

Although the backlog of untested sexual assault kits in the United States is starting to be addressed, many municipalities are opting for selective testing of samples within a kit, where only the most probative samples are tested. We use data from the San Francisco Police Department Criminalistics Laboratory, which tests all samples but also collects information on the samples flagged by sexual assault forensic examiners as most probative, to build a standard machine learning model that predicts (based on covariates gleaned from sexual assault kit questionnaires) which samples are most probative. This model is embedded within an optimization framework that selects which samples to test from each kit to maximize the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) yield (i.e., the number of kits that generate at least one DNA profile for the criminal DNA database) subject to a budget constraint. Our analysis predicts that, relative to a policy that tests only the samples deemed probative by the sexual assault forensic examiners, the proposed policy increases the CODIS yield by 45.4% without increasing the cost. Full testing of all samples has a slightly lower cost-effectiveness than the selective policy based on forensic examiners, but more than doubles the yield. In over half of the sexual assaults, a sample was not collected during the forensic medical exam from the body location deemed most probative by the machine learning model. Our results suggest that electronic forensic records coupled with machine learning and optimization models could enhance the effectiveness of criminal investigations of sexual assaults.

How to Right a Wrong: Empirically Evaluating Whether Victim, Offender, and Assault Characteristics can Inform Rape Kit Testing Policies.

Hundreds of thousands of previously untested sexual assault kits (SAKs) have been uncovered in police property storage facilities across the United States, representing a national failure in institutional response to sexual assault. Faced with this discovery, jurisdictions must now decide if and how they should test these kits. Some stakeholders have suggested prioritizing kits for testing by victim, offender, or assault characteristics, based on the belief that these characteristics can predict the likely utility of DNA testing. However, little research has examined the empirical merits of such prioritization. To address this gap in the literature and inform SAK testing policies, we randomly sampled 900 previously untested SAKs from Detroit, MI. The sampled SAKs were submitted for DNA testing, and eligible DNA profiles were entered into Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), the federal DNA database. Police records associated with each SAK were coded for victim, offender, and assault characteristics, and logistic regression analyses were conducted to test whether these characteristics predict which SAKs yield DNA profiles that match ("hit") to other criminal offenses in CODIS. Testing this sample of previously-untested SAKs produced a substantial number of CODIS hits, but few of the tested variables were significant predictors of CODIS hit rate. These findings suggest that testing all previously-unsubmitted kits may generate information that is useful to the criminal justice system, while also potentially addressing the institutional betrayal victims experienced when their kits were ignored.

Bibliometrics Analysis of Forensic Toxicology Literature of Mainland Chinese Scholars in SCIE Journals.

ABSTRACT: Objective To conduct bibliometrics analysis of forensic toxicology literature of mainland Chinese scholars published in SCIE journals between 1998 and 2018. Methods Gephi 0.9.2 software was used for bibliometrics analysis. The status of forensic toxicology research in mainland China was network visualized through data analysis of institutional cooperation, author collaboration, fund support, keywords co-occurrence as well as literature interpretation. Results The total number of papers published in SCIE journals in the past twenty years by mainland Chinese scholars was 242, and increased year by year. Thematic studies, such as analysis and evaluation of toxins in hair, identification of new psychoactive substances, optical enantiomer analysis of amphetamines, analysis of toxic animal and plant components, etc, reached the international advanced level. Conclusion The forensic toxicology discipline in our country has developed rapidly in recent years. The opening and development of forensic science in colleges and universities, the constant emerging of new research teams, especially the funding of major special projects of National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Ministry of Science and Technology, have promoted high level research output and academic status of Chinese forensic toxicology on the international stage.

Bibliometrics Analysis of Forensic Toxicology Literature of Mainland Chinese Scholars in SCIE Journals / 法医学杂志

Objective To conduct bibliometrics analysis of forensic toxicology literature of mainland Chinese scholars published in SCIE journals between 1998 and 2018. Methods Gephi 0.9.2 software was used for bibliometrics analysis. The status of forensic toxicology research in mainland China was network visualized through data analysis of institutional cooperation, author collaboration, fund support, keywords co-occurrence as well as literature interpretation. Results The total number of papers published in SCIE journals in the past twenty years by mainland Chinese scholars was 242, and increased year by year. Thematic studies, such as analysis and evaluation of toxins in hair, identification of new psychoactive substances, optical enantiomer analysis of amphetamines, analysis of toxic animal and plant components, etc, reached the international advanced level. Conclusion The forensic toxicology discipline in our country has developed rapidly in recent years. The opening and development of forensic science in colleges and universities, the constant emerging of new research teams, especially the funding of major special projects of National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Ministry of Science and Technology, have promoted high level research output and academic status of Chinese forensic toxicology on the international stage.

Estudio de la transexualidad desde la Clínica Médico Forense de Madrid / A study of transsexuality from Medical Forensic Clinic in Madrid

Introducción: El objetivo de este trabajo es el de comparar los casos de transexualidad peritados en la Clínica Médico Forense de Madrid con los publicados en otras series. Material y métodos: Se trata de un estudio retrospectivo sobre los informes emitidos por médicos forenses adscritos a la Clínica Médico Forense de Madrid, desde el once de enero de 1995 hasta el cuatro de mayo de 2007, recogiendo una serie de datos y realizando un estudio observacional descriptivo y transversal. Resultados: Se han obtenido 52 informes en relación con transexualidad, de los que 29 eran de hombre a mujer (55,76%) y 23 de mujer a hombre (44,23%). Se recoge que la mayoría carecían de alteraciones psicopatológicas (72,4/65,2% hombre/mujer respectivamente), la aparición precoz del sentimiento transexual (86,2/100%), la edad de la cirugía de reasignación (hombres entre 18 y los 41 años de edad; mujeres, entre los 22 y los 43 años de edad), y su proximidad a la solicitud de cambio de inscripción registral. Conclusiones: Destaca la alta incidencia de ausencia de alteraciones psicopatológicas (hemos objetivado estas alteraciones aproximadamente en un tercio de los casos), la precocidad en la aparición del sentimiento transexual y la proximidad entre la cirugía transexual y la solicitud de inscripción registral, condicionado por los requisitos legales del momento. Los resultados obtenidos en nuestro estudio son comparables con otras series, teniendo en cuenta la diferencia de procedimientos empleados

Introduction: The objective of this work is to compare the cases of transsexuality studied in the Forensic Medical Clinic of Madrid with those published in other series. Material and methods: A retrospective, descriptive, cross-sectional, and observational study was carried out by collecting a series of data from the reports issued by forensic doctors attached to the Forensic Medical Clinic of Madrid, from 11 January 1995 to 4 May 2007. Results: A total of 52 reports were obtained in relation to transsexuality, of which 29 were from male to female (55.76%), and 23 from female to male (44.23%). It was noted that the majority lacked psycho-pathological disorders (72.4/65.2% male/female, respectively), the early onset of transsexual sentiment (86.2/100%), the age of re-assignment surgery (male between 18 and 41 years of age; female, between 22 and 43 years old), and its proximity to the application for change of registration. Conclusions: The study emphasises the high incidence of absence of psycho-pathological problems (observed in approximately one-third of the cases), the precociousness in the appearance of the transsexual feeling and the proximity between the surgery and the application for registration, conditioned by the current legal requirements. The results obtained in the present study are compared with other series, taking into account the difference in the procedures used

Proteomics Goes to Court: A Statistical Foundation for Forensic Toxin/Organism Identification Using Bottom-Up Proteomics.

Bottom-up proteomics is increasingly being used to characterize unknown environmental, clinical, and forensic samples. Proteomics-based bacterial identification typically proceeds by tabulating peptide "hits" (i.e., confidently identified peptides) associated with the organisms in a database; those organisms with enough hits are declared present in the sample. This approach has proven to be successful in laboratory studies; however, important research gaps remain. First, the common-practice reliance on unique peptides for identification is susceptible to a phenomenon known as signal erosion. Second, no general guidelines are available for determining how many hits are needed to make a confident identification. These gaps inhibit the transition of this approach to real-world forensic samples where conditions vary and large databases may be needed. In this work, we propose statistical criteria that overcome the problem of signal erosion and can be applied regardless of the sample quality or data analysis pipeline. These criteria are straightforward, producing a p-value on the result of an organism or toxin identification. We test the proposed criteria on 919 LC-MS/MS data sets originating from 2 toxins and 32 bacterial strains acquired using multiple data collection platforms. Results reveal a > 95% correct species-level identification rate, demonstrating the effectiveness and robustness of proteomics-based organism/toxin identification.

Forensic Identification in the Aftermath of Human Rights Crimes in Chile: A Decentered Computer History.

As computer historians extend the bounds of what constitutes computer history, they must also take care not to write histories that overstate the importance of these technologies. "Decentering" the computer in computer history provides a way for historians to study the role of computers in more domains without exaggerating their importance. Here I illustrate how the use of a computer system for forensic identification formed part of Chile's complicated history of truth, justice, and reconciliation in the aftermath of the Pinochet dictatorship. While computers are not, and should not be, the central focus of how we understand processes of truth and reconciliation in history, in this case they illuminate the dynamics of how those working within the Chilean government, including its justice system, have approached Chile's history of human rights abuses.

Statistical hypothesis testing and common misinterpretations: Should we abandon p-value in forensic science applications?

Many people regard the concept of hypothesis testing as fundamental to inferential statistics. Various schools of thought, in particular frequentist and Bayesian, have promoted radically different solutions for taking a decision about the plausibility of competing hypotheses. Comprehensive philosophical comparisons about their advantages and drawbacks are widely available and continue to span over large debates in the literature. More recently, controversial discussion was initiated by an editorial decision of a scientific journal [1] to refuse any paper submitted for publication containing null hypothesis testing procedures. Since the large majority of papers published in forensic journals propose the evaluation of statistical evidence based on the so called p-values, it is of interest to expose the discussion of this journal's decision within the forensic science community. This paper aims to provide forensic science researchers with a primer on the main concepts and their implications for making informed methodological choices.

Diferencias entre fallecimientos inmediatos y a 30 días por lesiones por tráfico según fuentes forenses / Differences between immediate and 30-day deaths due to traffic injuries according to forensic sources

Objetivo: Conocer las diferencias entre los fallecidos por lesiones por tráfico el mismo día de la colisión y a 30 días en Cataluña a partir de fuentes forenses. Material y métodos: Estudio observacional de los datos de fallecidos por tráfico procedentes del Institut de Medicina Legal de Catalunya entre el 1 de enero de 2005 y el 31 de diciembre de 2014. Los datos se analizaron con el paquete estadístico SPSS v.18.0. Las comparaciones de proporciones se realizaron mediante la prueba de χ2. Resultados: Durante el período de estudio se registraron 4044 defunciones por lesiones por tráfico. Los fallecidos a 30 días fueron el 14,7% del total e incluyeron más mujeres, menores, personas ancianas y peatones que los inmediatos. Conclusiones: Los fallecidos por lesiones en los 30 días siguientes a una colisión tienen un perfil diferente a los fallecidos en el mismo día de la colisión (AU)

Objective: To study immediate (same day of the collision) and delayed (within 30 days of the collision) deaths due to traffic injuries in Catalonia (Spain) according to forensic sources and to assess the differences between the two kinds of deaths. Material and methods: An observational study was conducted of all the traffic accident deaths registered in the Institute of Legal Medicine of Catalonia between January 1st 2005 and December 31st 2014. Data analysis was performed using the SPSS v.18.0 statistical package. Comparisons of proportions were based on the χ2 test. Results: During the study period, 4044 deaths due to traffic injuries were recorded. Deaths within 30 days included more women, minors, elderly people, and pedestrians than immediate deaths. Conclusions: Traffic injury deaths in the 30 days following a crash differ from immediate deaths (AU)

When 'neutral' evidence still has probative value (with implications from the Barry George Case).

The likelihood ratio (LR) is a probabilistic method that has been championed as a 'simple rule' for evaluating the probative value of forensic evidence in court. Intuitively, if the LR is greater than one then the evidence supports the prosecution hypothesis; if the LR is less than one it supports the defence hypothesis, and if the LR is equal to one then the evidence favours neither (and so is considered 'neutral'-having no probative value). It can be shown by Bayes' theorem that this simple relationship only applies to pairs of hypotheses for which one is the negation of the other (i.e. to mutually exclusive and exhaustive hypotheses) and is not applicable otherwise. We show how easy it can be - even for evidence experts - to use pairs of hypotheses that they assume are mutually exclusive and exhaustive but are not, and hence to arrive at erroneous conclusions about the value of evidence using the LR. Furthermore, even when mutually exclusive and exhaustive hypotheses are used there are extreme restrictions as to what can be concluded about the probative value of evidence just from a LR. Most importantly, while the distinction between source-level hypotheses (such as defendant was/was not at the crime scene) and offence-level hypotheses (defendant is/is not guilty) is well known, it is not widely understood that a LR for evidence about the former generally has no bearing on the LR of the latter. We show for the first time (using Bayesian networks) the full impact of this problem, and conclude that it is only the LR of the offence level hypotheses that genuinely determines the probative value of the evidence. We investigate common scenarios in which evidence has a LR of one but still has significant probative value (i.e. is not neutral as is commonly assumed). As illustration we consider the ramifications of these points for the case of Barry George. The successful appeal against his conviction for the murder of Jill Dando was based primarily on the argument that the firearm discharge residue (FDR) evidence, assumed to support the prosecution hypothesis at the original trial, actually had a LR equal to one and hence was 'neutral'. However, our review of the appeal transcript shows numerous examples of the problems with the use of hypotheses identified above. We show that if one were to follow the arguments recorded in the Appeal judgement verbatim, then contrary to the Appeal conclusion, the probative value of the FDR evidence may not have been neutral as was concluded.

On the use of the likelihood ratio for forensic evaluation: response to Fenton et al.

This letter to the Editor comments on the article When 'neutral' evidence still has probative value (with implications from the Barry George Case) by N. Fenton et al. [[1], 2014].

Forensic entomologists: an evaluation of their status.

The National Academy of Sciences ( 2009 ) published a review charting several key recommendations on strengthening the forensic sciences as an entity as part of an initiative put forth by the USA Congress to streamline and improve the quality of the forensic sciences and their impact on the judiciary process. Although the review was not totally inclusive, many of its sentiments have permeated into all the forensic sciences. The following paper is designed to determine who is practicing the science of forensic entomology, and in what capacity, by questioning practicing forensic entomologists about the type of education obtained, their countries' standards and accreditation processes, as well as general demographic information such as age and gender. A 28-question survey was sent out to 300 forensic entomologists worldwide in 2009. Of the 70 respondents, 80% had a formal education (either Masters or PhD), and 66% published their research. Approximately 50% of respondents were involved in the delivery of expert evidence and writing up case reports, and countries were actively involved with accrediting personnel, facilities, and entomology kits. Many discrepancies within the reported practices and accreditation processes highlight the need for the adoption of a standard code of practice among forensic entomologists.

Effect of forensic evidence on criminal justice case processing.

This study examined the role and impact of forensic evidence on case-processing outcomes in a sample of 4205 criminal cases drawn from five U.S. jurisdictions. Regression analyses demonstrated that forensic evidence played a consistent and robust role in case-processing decisions. Still, the influence of forensic evidence is time- and examination-dependent: the collection of crime scene evidence was predictive of arrest, and the examination of evidence was predictive of referral for charges, as well as of charges being filed, conviction at trial, and sentence length. The only decision outcome in which forensic evidence did not have a general effect was with regard to guilty plea arrangements. More studies are needed on the filtering of forensic evidence in different crime categories, from the crime scene to its use by investigators, prosecutors, and fact-finders, and to identify factors that shape decisions to collect evidence, submit it to laboratories, and request examinations.

Are UK undergraduate Forensic Science degrees fit for purpose?

In October 2009 Skills for Justice published the social research paper 'Fit for purpose?: Research into the provision of Forensic Science degree programmes in UK Higher Education Institutions.' The research engaged employers representing 95% of UK Forensic Science providers and 79% of UK universities offering Forensic Science or Crime Scene degree programmes. In addition to this, the research collected the views of 430 students studying these degrees. In 2008 there were approximately 9000 people working in the Forensic Science sector in the UK. The research found that the numbers of students studying Forensic Science or Crime Scene degrees in the UK have more than doubled since 2002-03, from 2191 in to 5664 in 2007-08. Over the same period there were twice as many females as males studying for these degrees. The research concluded that Forensic Science degree programmes offered by UK universities were of a good quality and they provided the student with a positive learning experience but the content was not relevant for Forensic Science employers. This echoed similar research by the former Government Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills on graduates from wider science, technology, engineering and mathematics degree programmes. The research also found that 75% of students studying Forensic Science or Crime Scene degrees expected to have a career in the Forensic Science sector, meaning that ensuring these courses are relevant for employers is a key challenge for universities. This paper reflects on the original research and discusses the implications in light of recent government policy.