1
Q
A
2
Q
What is ISO?
A
Degree to which a set of inherent characteristics of an object, fulfils requirements
3
Q
Inherent characteristics
A
permanent distinguishing features of Forensic science.
4
Q
Object
A
scientific evidence/information
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Q
Requirements
A
primarily those of law-enforcement and justice to produce a fair process and safe decision or verdict.
6
Q
What is a standard?
A
A document established by consensus approved by a recognized body that provides for common and repeated use, rules, guidance or characteristics for activities or their results aimed at achieving the optimum degree of order in a given context.
7
Q
Objectivity standards
A
- Unbiased
- Impartial
8
Q
Scientific standards
A
- Scientific method
- Objectivity
- Logic and rationality
9
Q
comply, ensure, provide, engage, fully
CPS Guidance - The core foundation principles for forensic science providers
Scientific processes
A
- To comply with the Codes of Conduct and Practice set down by the independent Forensic Science Regulator.
- To ensure Quality Standards and Assurance processes are applied which are nationally consistent and compliant with appropriate ISO standards, United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) accreditation, EU directives
- To provide clear communication and interpretation of scientific processes, procedures, strengths, weaknesses and meaning.
- To engage with Streamlined Forensic Reporting (SFR) process associated with proportionate prosecution requirements.
- To be fully aware of and compliant with CPIA Disclosure and Expert Witness obligations
10
Q
What is the importance of quality standards?
A
- Quality standards in forensic science are integral to the criminal justice system (CJS)
- There may be a greater risks that those guilty of crime may escape justice
- Or that innocent people could be convicted
11
Q
Adam Scott
Plastic tray
A
- Innocent man spent five months in jail falsely accused of rape following DNA error
- Adam Scott arrested after a plastic tray containing a sample of his saliva was reused by a forensics science provider.
- His saliva was wrongly linked to a violent attack on a woman in Manchester carried out when he was hundreds of miles away in Plymouth
- The Forensic Science Regulator found he was the victim of avoidable contamination
- The Regulator said that the lack of records meant it was impossible to work out who the laboratory technician was behind the mistake
Scott had been arrested after a street fight and the saliva sample was taken and held on NDNAD
12
Q
The method of analysis
A
- A method is no good, even if it is rooted in the broader scientific method, unless it is constantly applied in the same way every time it was used.
- Individuals who have no established approach or who do not use the same approach for each case are not following a reliable process
13
Q
Reasons for an error
A
- Method is reliable but the analyst was not qualified.
- Method is reliable, analyst is qualified but mothod was not apllied properly.
- Analyst is qualified but the method is not reliable.
- Analyst is not qualified and method is not reliable.
14
Q
What makes a method unreliable?
A
- Inconsistent ot non-existent criteria for conclusions
- Not rooted in a scientifc process
- Doe not account for uncertainty
- Methods previously considered reliable will often need to be modified based upon new information.
15
Q
ISO 17025
A
- First used in 1999
- It is the single most important standard for calibration testing laboratories around the world
- Laboratories that have been accredited to this international standard have demonstrated that:
- They are technically competent and able to produce precise and accurate test and/or calibration data.
16
Q
Two sections of the ISO17025
A
- Management requirements - Primarily related to the operational effectiveness of the quality management system within the laboratory
- Technical requirements - Factors which determine the correctness and reliability of tests calibrations
17
Q
The ISO 17025 elements
A
The ISO 17025 standard itself comprises of five elements:
1. Scope
2. Normative references
3. Terms and defintions
4. Technical requirements
18
Q
Scope
ISO 17025
A
- To what extent do our laboratory activities extend?
- If the laboratory intends to extend its scope then, new audit will be required which is expensive.
- you have to stay within the scope of what you’re accredited to
19
Q
Normative references
ISO 17025
A
Rules prescribed by:
* Customers
* Regulations
* Normative documents
* ISO/IEC Guide 99, International vocabulary of metrology — Basic and general concepts and associated terms
* ISO/IEC 17000, Conformity assessment — Vocabulary and general principles
20
Q
What does ISO stand for?
A
International organisation for Standardisation
21
Q
Terms and definitions
ISO 17025
A
- Essentially a standardised vocabulary (are we speaking the same language)
- ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardisation
22
Q
Management requirements
ISO 17025
A
- Management systems & documentation
- Control of records
- Action to address risks and opportunities
- Corrective actions
- Internal audits
- Management reviews
23
Q
Technical requirements
ISO 17025
A
- Handling of test or calibration items
- Technical records
- Evaluation of measurement and certainty
- Ensuring validity of results
- Reporting opinions and interpretations
24
Q
What is accreditation?
A
- Accreditation is a voluntary, formal review process by which an organization or institution is recognized as meeting specific standards or criteria set by an accrediting body.
- Forensic suppliers must be accredited to a specific standard
- As part of accreditation, laboratories quality management system is thoroughly evaluated on a regular basis to ensure continued technical competence and compliance with ISO/IEC 17025
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# Improvement
What does ISO 17025 require?
* ISO 17025 requires continual improvement
* Regular audits are carried out to highlight opportunities for improvement
* The laboratory will be expected to maintain its knowledge of relevant scientific and technological advances
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Full recognition by an accreditation authority to the...
Full recognition by an accreditation authority to the technical and organisational competence of a conformity assessment body to carry out a specific service in accordance to the standards and technical regulations as described in the scope of accreditation
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Certification
The process by which a third party gives written assurance that a product, process, system or person conforms to the specified requirement
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UKAS
* Founded in 1995 with the Headquaters in Staines
* Others in Europe and around world.
* The sole national accreditation body recognised by the British Government
* To assess the competence of organisations that provide:
- Certification
- Testing
- Inspection
- Calibration
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Quality management system
A system by which:
* An organisation aims to reduce and eventually eliminate non-conformance to specifications standards and customer expectations in the most cost-effective and efficient manner.
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Proficiency testing
An assessment of the performance of laboratory personnel ssing samples where sources are known to the proficiency test administrator but unknown to the examinee
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Purpose of proficiency testing
To measure individual performance and provide demonstrative evidence of each examiners ability
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Types of proficiency testing
* Internal proficiency test
* External proficiency test
* Blind proficiency test
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External proficiency
External proficiency testing ensures the examiner is compared against the manufacturers validated results.
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Blind profiency test
* An agency may use blind proficiency tests to verify the quality of work without the scientists knowledge
* The agency may generate mock evidence and then assign it is a regular case
* The case examiner may never know that he or she worked blind proficiency test unless the quality of the work produced was below standard
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Double blind profiency test
* Is where another agency submits mock evidence as if it were a regular case to another agency.
* The use of double-blind tests to evaluate the performance of the individuals completing the case and the agency's overall performance within respect to that case
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Type 1 error
* False positive
* We might report a positive result where, in fact the true result is negative potentially incriminating the innocent
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Type 2 error
* False negative
* Reporting the case as negative when in fact it is positive whereby a person would be falsely exonerated
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What does IEC stand for?
International Electro-technical comission
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ISO 17020
* ISO 17020 is the International Standard for organisations carrying out inspection activities
* Deemed more appropriate than ISO/IEC 17025 for crime scene examinations
* Focuses on inspection bodies and police crime units
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Forensic Science Regulator
| Responsibility
1. Standards that apply to national forensic intelligence databases, leading on the development of new standards where necessary
2. Identifying the requirement for new and improved quality standards
3. Providing advice and guidance to ministers, CJS organisations and forensic science providers (FSPs) to help them demonstrate compliance with common standards
4. Ensuring that satisfactory arrangements exist to provide assurance and monitoring of the standards, including the management of complaints or referrals about standards of forensic science
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ISO 9001
* ISO 9001 is a globally recognized standard for quality management.
* It helps organizations of all sizes and sectors to improve their performance, meet customer expectations and demonstrate their commitment to quality.
* Sometimes aligned to fingerprint processes
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ISO 17043
Associated with the operation and management of proficiency testing schemes
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ISO 18385
* Standard for minimising the risk of human DNA contamination in products used to collect, store and analyse biological material for forensic purposes
* Providing the manufacturing requirements for forensic products and specify acceptable methods and pass/fail criteria for DNA contamination testing.
* Providing the manufacturing requirements for forensic bread products and specify acceptable methods and pass/fail criteria for DNA contamination testing.
* Potentially all samples could be analysed to low template standards
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ISO 18385
| How
* Consumables used for DNA casework are treated with a single cycle of ethylene oxide in order to reduce or eliminate DNA contamination
* Ethylene oxide is a toxic gas that splits off DNA helix into small fragments that are then too small to deliver a DNA profile that can be loaded to the National DNA Database
* The spiked swab is placed in the batch with a known quantity of donor DNA is quality tested and the batch rejected if DNA is detected.
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The Phantom of Heilbronn
* Police in Germany admitted that a woman they have been hunting for more than 15 years never in fact existed.
* Dubbed the ”Phantom of Heilbronn", the woman was described by police as the country's most dangerous woman.
* Investigators had connected her to six murders and an unsolved death based on DNA traces found at the scene.
* Police now acknowledge swabs used to collect DNA samples were contaminated by an innocent woman working in a factory in Bavaria.
* Police suspected the unnamed woman of being a serial killer who over 16 years carried out a string of six murders, including strangling a pensioner.
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PPE
* Full overall
* Hairnet - mob cap
* Over sleeves
* Over boots
* Nitrile gloves
* Facemasks
* Eye protection
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ISO 14644
Standard which applies to clean rooms
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# Injuries
R v Smith (2008)
| Context
* On 27 February 2007 Hilda Owen, a 71-year-old widow, was murdered in her home in Skegby
* She had been attacked and suffered grave injuries
* She was left to die
* The appellant, her next-door neighbour, found her body and reported it to the police on 1 March 2007
* Mr Smith was, at first, treated as a witness, but he was subsequently arrested and released on bail
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# Conviction
R v Smith (2008)
* Subsequently the court quashed his conviction
* The reliability of the fingerprint evidence used against him in 2008 was challenged due to fresh evidence from new experts
* In R v Buckley (Robert John) [1999] 163 JP 561, Rose LJ highlighted the accepted position that fingerprints varied from person to person and that those patterns were unique and unchanging.
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R v Smith (2008)
| Notes
* The court also criticised the quality of the reports provided. There were no notes made during examinations or of reasons for conclusions. Points of comparison were not identified contemporaneously on a separate chart.
* Diametrically opposed views of the experts who gave evidence before the court concerning their differing interpretations of indicators in the prints.
* The Court of Appeal concluded by calling for the enforcement of common quality standards in a “robust and accountable system”.
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# Fingerprint experts
R v Smith (2008)
| Issues raised
* These issues were considered important to the way in which fingerprint evidence is produced where the print is not clear
* In particular, the court was concerned that fingerprint experts are not independent of police forces
* In fact, there is no opportunity for people to become fully qualified as fingerprint experts outside police channels
* The police do not recognise qualifications obtained overseas
* The administration of justice demands that suitably qualified and independent fingerprint experts exist and are able to offer their opinions
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R v Smith (2008)
| Lord Justice THomas
In the judgement, Lord Justice Thomas raised a number of issues in relation to:
- The training and quality of fingerprint experts
- Quality standards
- And the presentation of fingerprint evidence at court
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The 16 point
- Originally there were no standards in proving a match.
- However, it became accepted that 12 ridge characteristics would prove a match beyond doubt.
- The UK adopted a higher threshold of certainty in 1953, using a national standard of 16 similar characteristics in proving a match.
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When was a non-numerical standard adopted for fingerprints?
* The study commissioned by ACPO and the Home Office, concluded that there was no scientific, logical or statistical basis for the retention of a numerical standard. A change to a non-numerical standard was adopted in 2001
* From 2001, the accepted practice was for the print to be identified by a fingerprint officer (who may or may not be a fingerprint expert) and then to be checked by two others who are qualified fingerprint experts
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Cameron Todd Willingham
* Cameron is Texan man who was condemned and put to death for the suspected arson murder of his three young daughters in 1991.
* In the early 90s, a horrifying fire tragedy struck Willingham’s house causing the precious lives of his three daughters.
* Accused of maliciously instigating the fire, Willingham's conviction hinged on the statements from fire investigators who concluded that the fire was purposefully ignited.
* Although, as progresses in fire science surfaced, questions about his guilt were kindled in later years.
* These revelations provided fresh perspectives about the investigation methods and evidence used during his trial.
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Cameron Todd Willingham
| Flaws
* Unreliable fire investigation - The original fire investigation was heavily criticised for relying on outfated and unscientific methods, including the use of arson indicators that have since been debunked.
* Lack of expertise - the investigators and experts involved in the case lacked proper training in fire investigation and relied on subjective interpretations rather than empirical evidence.
* Suppressed evidence - allegations were made that evidence could have potentially exonerated willingham was not disclosed during the trial.
* Inadequate defence - willinghams defence was deemed to be inadequate, failing to challenge the flaed forensic evidence effectively.
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Cameron Todd Willingham
| Key recommendations
* Better training for investigators in the handling and examination of evidence.
* The institution of better practices for collecting and preserving evidence.
* Commitment towards transparent investigations and leveraging technological advances in forensic science.
* Improved oversight and independent assessment of investigations are also suggested to combat investigative biases
