Views of Forensic Science: An Intersection of Science and Police Work?

• In Event: Views on Education and Technology in Policing

Abstract

Given recent concerns over the scientific foundation of many forensic disciplines, public views of forensic evidence and their antecedents have become an important area of interest. As the analysis of forensic evidence involves the use of scientific methods, it is reasonable to expect that general attitudes toward science influence attitudes toward forensics. At the same time, since forensic evidence is collected and analyzed by the police, and is, in essence, a form of police service, general views of the police, and particularly of police effectiveness, may also impact views of forensic evidence. To illuminate how the general public perceives forensic evidence and evaluates the antecedents of such views, 1,342 Israelis were surveyed about their views of forensic science, the police and science in general. The data revealed three groups of respondents: those who express high levels of trust in all three areas; those who express low levels of trust in all three; and those who express high levels of trust in forensic science and in science as a whole, but low trust in the police. These findings shed light on the way attitudes toward forensic evidence develop and have important implications for decision making in the criminal justice system.

Authors

• Naomi Kaplan-Damary, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

• Tal Jonathan-Zamir, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

• Gali Perry, The Hebrew University

• Eran Itskovich, Institute of Criminology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem