Forensic metrology: when measurement science meets ethics

Abstract

Different definitions can be found for professional ethics. An attractive one, often defined in many codes of ethics, states that, when practicing a profession, an individual must refer to the state-of-the-art knowledge, and should not disregard any of the pieces of information that it provides him or her. There are however important professions, such as forensic metrology, that are across two very different disciplines, and refer to principles that may appear as conflicting. This paper discusses them briefly and proves, also referring to real cases, that favoring one instead of the other may result in a violation of professional ethics. On the contrary, the correct and complete exploitation of the available evidence is not only ethical, but helps justice accomplish its mission.