Communication, forensic science, and the law

Abstract

The communication of forensic science within the criminal justice process has been highlighted as an issue in a series of high profile reports dating back more than a decade. A forensic scientist has to be able to effectively communicate complex scientific ideas across multidisciplinary borders including the police, lawyers, and jurors, while concurrently being restrained by processes and procedures which exist within the criminal justice process. Communication research has begun to be undertaken to try and clarify and identify what causes some of the problems in communicating forensic science, to suggest how these might be addressed and to assess the efficacy of new approaches. This article is categorized under: Jurisprudence and Regulatory Science