U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Just Science Podcast: Just Subjective Probability

NCJ Number
250777
Author(s)
Christophe Champod; Tacha Hicks; Heidi Eldridge
Date Published
2017
Length
5 pages
Annotation

This website provides access to a podcast - one in a series on forensic science sponsored by the National Institute of Justice's Forensic Technology Center of Excellence - that consists of a discussion of subjective probability and how it can be used in forensic science when subjective judgments on comparative matches are involved.

Abstract

The discussion involves Dr. Christophe Champod and Dr. Tacha Hicks from the University of Lausanne and Heidi Eldridge of RTI International. Dr. Christophe Champod is conducting research on the inferential aspects associated with forensic identification techniques, with a focus on fingerprint evidence. Dr. Hicks is a forensic scientist with a specialization in interpretation of evidence, and she delivers online interpretation courses tailored for forensic caseworkers. Heidi Eldridge is the resident fingerprint expert with RTI International. There are many different perspectives and methods regarding how to use statistical analysis in courtroom forensic analysis testimony. This podcast will help listeners better understand these differing perspectives and learn more about how logical thinking must be applied appropriately when determining subjective probability, using examples provided by the three presenters.