The United Kingdom and Ireland Association of Forensic Toxicologists; establishing best practice for professional training & development in forensic toxicology
The current status of forensic toxicology in the United Kingdom is discussed with an emphasis on professional training and development. Best practice is proposed using a blend of modular foundation knowledge training, continuing professional development, academic study, research& development and ongoing analytical practice.The need for establishing a professional career structure is also discussed along with a suggested example of a suitable model.The issues discussed in this paper are intended to provoke discussion within the forensic toxicology community, industry regulators and other government bodies responsible for th...
Source: Science and Justice - October 18, 2016 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Simon Cosbey, Simon Elliott, Sue Paterson Source Type: research
An investigation into the factors that influence toolmark identifications on ammunition discharged from semi-automatic pistols recovered from car fires
Following a shooting incident where a vehicle is used to convey the culprits to and from the scene, both the getaway car and the firearm are often deliberately burned in an attempt to destroy any forensic evidence which may be subsequently recovered. Here we investigate the factors that influence the ability to make toolmark identifications on ammunition discharged from pistols recovered from such car fires. This work was carried out by conducting a number of controlled furnace tests in conjunction with real car fire tests in which three 9mm semi-automatic pistols were burned. (Source: Science and Justice)
Source: Science and Justice - October 13, 2016 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Mark A. Collender, Kevin A.J. Doherty, Kenneth T. Stanton Source Type: research
Results of an inter and intra laboratory exercise on the assessment of complex autosomal DNA profiles
In this study, we assessed the intra and inter laboratory variation in DNA mixture interpretation for three European ISO17025-accredited laboratories. To this aim, 26 reporting officers analyzed five sets of DNA profiles. Three main aspects were considered: 1) whether the mixed DNA profiles met the criteria for comparison to a reference profile, 2) the actual result of the comparison between references and DNA profiling data and 3) whether the weight of the DNA evidence could be assessed. (Source: Science and Justice)
Source: Science and Justice - October 10, 2016 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Corina C.G. Benschop, Edward Connolly, Ricky Ansell, Bas Kokshoorn Source Type: research
Investigation into ethylene oxide treatment and residuals on DNA and downstream DNA analysis
This study initially demonstrated the effectiveness of ethylene oxide (EO) as a post-production treatment to eliminate DNA on swabs, used as a sampling device for the recovery of cellular material. (Source: Science and Justice)
Source: Science and Justice - September 16, 2016 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: L. Wilson-Wilde, D. Yakovchyts, S. Neville, P. Maynard, P. Gunn Source Type: research
Analysis of fingerprint samples, testing various conditions, for forensic DNA identification
Fingerprints can be of tremendous value for forensic biology, since they can be collected from a wide variety of evident types, such as handles of weapons, tools collected in criminal cases, and objects with no apparent staining. DNA obtained from fingerprints varies greatly in quality and quantity, which ultimately affects the quality of the resulting STR profiles. Additional difficulties can arise when fingerprint samples show mixed STR profiles due to the handling of multiple persons. After applying a tested protocol for sample collection (swabbing with 5% Triton X-100), DNA extraction (using an enzyme that works at ele...
Source: Science and Justice - September 14, 2016 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Lana Ostojic, Elisa Wurmbach Source Type: research
Indirect chiral separation of 8 novel amphetamine derivatives as potential new psychoactive compounds by GC –MS and HPLC
Amphetamine and its derivatives gained high popularity on the illegal drug market. In the last few years, a lot of new psychoactive compounds structurally related to amphetamine, such as 4-fluoroamphetamine and 4-fluoromethamphetamine swamped the drug market. They were designed to circumvent prohibition of amphetamine and N-methylamphetamine and are distributed via the Internet. Often, a halogen atom is introduced into the phenyl ring of amphetamine to turn the illegal amphetamine legal. Since amphetamines possess a chiral centre, two enantiomers are available, which might differ in activity. (Source: Science and Justice)
Source: Science and Justice - September 7, 2016 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Jennifer A. Wei ß, Kian Kadkhodaei, Martin G. Schmid Tags: Research paper Source Type: research
Cross-border patterns in DNA matches between the Netherlands and Belgium
In this article we present the results of a study to explore if cross-border DNA matches between the Netherlands and Belgium are relatively more likely to occur in areas near the Dutch-Belgian border than in areas at some distance from this border. For this study we used the results of the transnational DNA profile exchange and comparison between the Belgian and Dutch DNA databases, which first took place in 2014.It appears that the Dutch regions adjacent to Belgium, i.e., Zeeland-West-Brabant, Oost-Brabant and Limburg, have relatively more DNA matches with Belgium than the other Dutch regions. (Source: Science and Justice)
Source: Science and Justice - September 7, 2016 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: M.D. Taverne, A.P.A. Broeders Tags: Research paper Source Type: research
Forensic sciences (anthropology/archaeology/pathology) and international criminal justice
In her seminal Fact-Finding without Facts: The Uncertain Evidentiary Foundations of International Criminal Convictions [Cambridge University Press, 2010], Nancy Combs shed light on the serious impediments faced by international criminal justice in establishing facts in order to convincingly assess individual criminal responsibility for the most atrocious deeds. Gathering reliable evidence was a challenge for the ad hoc International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda [ICTR] and for the Former Yugoslavia [ICTY] and very much remains a live issue at the International Criminal Court [ICC]. (Source: Science and Justice)
Source: Science and Justice - August 31, 2016 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Caroline Fournet Tags: Editorial Source Type: research
Editorial Board
(Source: Science and Justice)
Source: Science and Justice - August 31, 2016 Category: Forensic Medicine Source Type: research
Events guide
(Source: Science and Justice)
Source: Science and Justice - August 31, 2016 Category: Forensic Medicine Source Type: research
Council Information
(Source: Science and Justice)
Source: Science and Justice - August 31, 2016 Category: Forensic Medicine Source Type: research
Karad žić's guilty verdict and forensic evidence from Bosnia's mass graves
The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia's Karad žić verdict, eagerly awaited, was unsurprising. He was found guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. One part of the judgment was concerned with the Srebrenica events in which much forensic evidence from mass graves featured. Whilst this was to be expected, forensic evidence fr om the horrific crime scenes continues to be important in determining aspects of the crime base. This paper discusses the evidence and examines how the Chamber came to the conclusion that systematic killing of thousands of Bosnian Muslim men occurred and atte...
Source: Science and Justice - August 26, 2016 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Melanie Klinkner Tags: Review Source Type: research
Forensic expectations: Investigating a crime scene with prior information
In a large body of research the influence of contextual information on decisions made in a broad range of disciplines has been studied. To date, the influence of these expectancy effects on the crime scene investigation has not been studied. In the present study we explored the effect of prior information given to crime scene investigators on their perception and interpretation of an ambiguous crime scene.Participants (N=58) were experienced crime scene investigators who were provided with a panoramic photograph of an ambiguous mock crime scene. (Source: Science and Justice)
Source: Science and Justice - August 17, 2016 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Claire A.J. van den Eeden, Christianne J. de Poot, Peter J. van Koppen Tags: Emerging researcher article Source Type: research
Juvenile age estimation from facial images
Age determination from images can be of vital importance, particularly in cases involving suspected child sexual abuse (CSA). It is imperative to determine if an individual depicted in such an image is indeed a child, with a more concise age often sought, as this may affect the severity of offender sentencing.The aims of this study were to establish the accuracy of visual age estimation of the juvenile face in children aged between 0 and 16years and to determine if varying levels of exposure to children affected an individual's ability to assess age from the face. (Source: Science and Justice)
Source: Science and Justice - August 17, 2016 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Eilidh Ferguson, Caroline Wilkinson Tags: Emerging researcher article Source Type: research
Preserved brains from the Spanish Civil War mass grave (1936) at La Pedraja1, Burgos, Spain
During the excavation of the Spanish Civil War mass grave at La Pedraja (Burgos, Spain), 104 individuals were found interred within it, 45 of which displayed brains that were preserved but dehydrated and reduced in size. This exceptional finding has resulted in the formation of a multidisciplinary team, with the aim of obtaining as much information as possible and to primarily understand the taphonomic phenomena that has led to the preservation of these brains. The following types of analyses were undertaken on three of these brains: macroscopy, histology, radiology, chemical-toxicology, genetics, chemical analysis of the ...
Source: Science and Justice - August 15, 2016 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Fernando Serrulla, Lourdes Herrasti, Carmen Navarro, Jose Luis Cascallana, Ana Maria Bermejo, Nicholas Marquez-Grant, Francisco Etxeberria Source Type: research
