ABSTRACT

Handbook of Forensic Statistics is a collection of chapters by leading authorities in forensic statistics. Written for statisticians, scientists, and legal professionals having a broad range of statistical expertise, it summarizes and compares basic methods of statistical inference (frequentist, likelihoodist, and Bayesian) for trace and other evidence that links individuals to crimes, the modern history and key controversies in the field, and the psychological and legal aspects of such scientific evidence.

Specific topics include uncertainty in measurements and conclusions; statistically valid statements of weight of evidence or source conclusions; admissibility and presentation of statistical findings; and the state of the art of methods (including problems and pitfalls) for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data in such areas as forensic biology, chemistry, and pattern and impression evidence. The particular types of evidence that are discussed include DNA, latent fingerprints, firearms and toolmarks, glass, handwriting, shoeprints, and voice exemplars.

section Section I|36 pages

Perspectives on Forensic Statistics

chapter 1|34 pages

The History of Forensic Inference and Statistics: A Thematic Perspective

ByColin Aitken, Franco Taroni

section Section II|161 pages

General Concepts and Methods

chapter 2|34 pages

Frequentist Methods for Statistical Inference

ByDavid H. Kaye

chapter 3|18 pages

Bayesian Methods and Forensic Inference

ByDavid Banks, Maria Tackett

chapter 4|11 pages

Comparing Philosophies of Statistical Inference

ByHal S. Stern

chapter 5|28 pages

Decision Theory

ByFranco Taroni, Silvia Bozza, Alex Biedermann

chapter 6|12 pages

Association Does Not Imply Discrimination: Clarifying When Matches Are (and Are Not) Meaningful

ByMaria Cuellar, Lucas Mentch, Cliff Spiegelman

chapter 7|20 pages

Validation of Forensic Automatic Likelihood Ratio Methods

ByDaniel Ramos, Didier Meuwly, Rudolf Haraksim, Charles E.H. Berger

chapter 8|33 pages

Bayesian Networks in Forensic Science

ByA. Philip Dawid, Julia Mortera

section Section III|50 pages

Legal and Psychological Dimensions

chapter 9|24 pages

How Well Do Lay People Comprehend Statistical Statements from Forensic Scientists?

ByKristy A. Martire, Gary Edmond

chapter 10|24 pages

Forensic Statistics in the Courtroom

ByColin Aitken, Franco Taroni

section Section IV|291 pages

Applications of Statistics to Particular Fields in Forensic Science

chapter 11|14 pages

DNA Frequencies and Probabilities

ByBruce S. Weir

chapter 12|11 pages

Kinship

ByBruce S. Weir

chapter 13|48 pages

Statistical Support for Conclusions in Fingerprint Examinations

ByCedric Neumann, Jessie Hendricks, Madeline Ausdemore

chapter 15|23 pages

Comparing Handwriting in Questioned Documents

ByAlan Julian Izenman

chapter 16|26 pages

An Introduction to Firearms Examination for Researchers in Statistics

BySusan VanderPlas, Alicia Carriquiry, Heike Hofmann, James Hamby, Xiao Hui Tai

chapter 17|20 pages

Shoeprints: The Path from Practice to Science

BySarena Wiesner, Naomi Kaplan-Damary, Benjamin Eltzner, Stephan Huckemann

chapter 18|32 pages

Forensic Glass Evidence

ByKaren Pan, Junqi Chen, Karen Kafadar

chapter 19|7 pages

Estimation of Insect Age for Assessing Minimum Post-Mortem Interval in Forensic Entomology Casework

ByDavide Pigoli, Martin J.R. Hall, John A.D. Aston

chapter 20|47 pages

Statistical Models in Forensic Voice Comparison

ByStewart Morrison Geoffrey, Enzinger Ewald, Daniel Ramos, Joaquín González-Rodríguez, Alicia Lozano-Díez

chapter 21|41 pages

Bringing New Statistical Approaches to Eyewitness Evidence

ByAlice J. Liu, Karen Kafadar, Brandon L. Garrett, Joanne Yaffe