ABSTRACT
Information generated by the forensic sciences is referred to as forensic evidence simply to distinguish it from nonscientifically generated information, such as witness statements and other circumstantial data, addressing the period preceding, during, and following a crime. Prior to allowing an expert forensic scientist or crime scene technician to render an opinion linking a defendant to a crime scene, a court may require a showing by the offering party that the scientific basis underlying a forensic expert’s testimony is generally accepted in the scientific community or, per a federal Daubert standard, that it is relevant and reliable. Once the information produced and testified to by expert witnesses successfully survives the evidence rules and foundational process, it becomes circumstantial evidence along with other inference-based information available for jury consumption.
