ASA Makes Recommendations on Forensic Science Reform for National Commission on Forensic Science

By Steve Pierson posted 05-02-2014 16:14

  
The ASA Ad Hoc Advisory Committee on Forensic Statistics submitted written comments to the newly established National Commission on Forensic Science "to enhance scientific thinking to benefit the practice of forensic science." In the cover letter, 2015 ASA President David Morganstein writes,
We at the ASA commend the creation of the National Commission on Forensic Science and offer to
support your important work in any way we can. A prominent theme within "Strengthening Forensic
Science" is the need to undergird the science in the forensic science disciplines. We are convinced
statistical scientists can be helpful in this regard. As noted in a 2010 statement by the ASA Board of
Directors on forensic science (http://amstat.org/policy/pdfs/Forensic_Science_Endorsement.pdf),
"Statisticians are vital to establishing measurement protocols, quantifying uncertainty, designing
experiments for testing new protocols or methodologies, and analyzing data from such experiments."
In their statement, the committee recommended these four steps:
  1. Ensure uniform use of the scientific method throughout the forensic sciences.
  2. Insist on rigorous documentation of protocols. Careful documentation of the processes
    used in each forensic science discipline is a critical first step for quality control and for process
    improvement. It is also necessary to implement safeguards to ensure established protocols
    and procedures are followed.
  3. Encourage a culture of openness to consulting outside experts.
  4. Establish a foundation in logic, decision theory, and statistical reasoning in educational and
    training programs for forensic science. Such a focus emphasizes a common decision
    framework across the forensic sciences and encourages contributions toward problem
    solutions from all forensic fields.

To see the detailed comments of each recommendation, follow this link. ASA's comments have been posted to the NCFS webpages.

​ For more on the ASA forensic science reform efforts, see this web page and these ASA Community blog entries:
See other ASA Science Policy blog entries. For ASA science policy updates, follow @ASA_SciPol on Twitter.
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