ABSTRACT
Forensic science, the application of science to civil and criminal law, is a field that is grounded in applied ethics. The identification, collection, and preservation of any piece of forensic evidence will ultimately involve numerous individuals. Emergency responders, crime scene personnel, and forensic scientists are often called upon to testify as expert witnesses. Juries and jurors give increased weight to the testimony of forensic experts. There has been great debate and much litigation pertaining to what should be allowed as "expert testimony" and what should qualify an individual to be considered as an expert within courtrooms. Federal Rules of Evidence Rule 702 is fairly significant in regards to forensic science and the ability of expert witnesses to testify about scientific evidence. The Daubert test only addressed the scientific nature of expert testimony when assessing the admissibility. Accuracy is extremely important to forensic science; however, it has been argued that some forensic methods are more accurate than others.
