ABSTRACT
There are several schools of thought on the use of “technical” terms for bloodstain pattern analysis. One voices the concern that in using these terms the analyst may well alienate the intended audience — the jury. Such analysts speak in layperson’s language so that the jury is neither offended by their expertise nor lost by the subject matter itself. A second position argues that analysts, being analysts and being accepted as knowledgeable in their trade, must speak in a manner that conveys that knowledge. Technical terminology is simply another way of exhibiting ability.
