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A recent study highlights the danger of wrongful convictions due to false matches in forensic science. Researchers recommend more stringent documentation and error analysis in forensic examinations to ensure accuracy and enhance the legal reliability of evidence such as wire cuts.
The rate of mistaken identifications could be as high as one in 10 or more, concluded the researchers, who are affiliated with the Center for Statistics and Applications in Forensic Evidence , based in Ames, Iowa.“It is somewhat of a counterintuition,” said co-author Susan VanderPlas, an assistant professor of statistics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “You are more likely to find the right match – but you’re also more likely to find the wrong match.
“Wire-cutting evidence is used in court and, based on our findings, it shouldn’t be – at least not without presenting additional information about how many comparisons were made,” VanderPlas said.Wire cutting evidence is evaluated by comparing the striations found on the cut end of a piece of wire against the cutting blades of tools suspected to have been used in the crime.
Examiners may not even be aware of the number of comparisons they are making as they search for a matching pattern, because those comparisons are hidden in the algorithms. Examiners report the overall length or area of materials used in the examination process, including blade length and wire diameter. This would enable examination-wide error rates to be calculated.
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