A Discouraging Omen: A Critical Evaluation of the Approved Uniform Language for Testimony and Reports for the Forensic Latent Print Discipline

27 Pages Posted: 9 Jul 2018 Last revised: 23 Aug 2018

See all articles by Simon A. Cole

Simon A. Cole

University of California, Irvine - Department of Criminology, Law and Society

Date Written: July 5, 2018

Abstract

The theme of the 2018 Georgia State University Law Review symposium is the Future of Forensic Science Reform. In this Article, I assess the prospects for reform through a critical evaluation of a document published in February 2018 by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), the Approved Uniform Language for Testimony and Reports for the Forensic Latent Print Discipline (ULTR). I argue that this document gives reason to be concerned about the prospects for reform of forensic science. In Part I, I discuss the background of the ULTR. In Part II, I undertake a critical evaluation of the ULTR. In Part III, I conclude by discussing why the importance of the ULTR extends beyond merely one document and one discipline to implicate the future of forensic science reform more generally.

Keywords: fingerprint, testimony, standards, decision, reporting, forensic, Department of Justice, uniform language

Suggested Citation

Cole, Simon A., A Discouraging Omen: A Critical Evaluation of the Approved Uniform Language for Testimony and Reports for the Forensic Latent Print Discipline (July 5, 2018). Georgia State University Law Review, Vol. 34, No.4, pp. 1103-1128, 2018, UC Irvine School of Law Research Paper No. 2018-53, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3208931

Simon A. Cole (Contact Author)

University of California, Irvine - Department of Criminology, Law and Society ( email )

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Irvine, CA 92697
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HOME PAGE: http://www.seweb.uci.edu/faculty/cole/

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