The Use Of Statistics In Forensic Science (Hardcover)

The main purpose of this book is to describe ways of assessing forensic science evidence and the means of communicating this assessment to a court of law. A clear exposition of probability from the Bayesian perspective is provided. The underlying theme of the book is the emphasis on the importance, for the assessment of the value of associative evidence linking a suspect and a crime scene, or the comparison of two probabilities, the first being that of the evidence if the suspect is guilty, the second being that of the evidence if the suspect is innocent. Edited as a joint venture between a statistician and a forensic scientist, contributions from leading researchers in the area have been brought together. Technical expressions are kept to a minimum, with those wanting more information on a particular statistical test being referred to standard textbooks as and when necessary. The editor's aim is to ensure that proper attention is placed on the courts to consideration of the probability of the evidence of association if the suspect is innocent as well as to this probability if the suspect is guilty. The work is intended for forensic science practitioners, legal practitioners, stati