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Abstract:
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A National Academy of Sciences report documented the deficiencies in "forensic science," noting that many forensic science fields are woefully lacking in validation through independent research. Law enforcement routinely denies access to DNA offender databases to statisticians and population geneticists seeking to conduct research to validate DNA match statistics and to the criminally accused seeking to facilitate post-conviction claims of actual innocence. The statistical community should engage the forensic science community about the need for access to data, both in DNA cases and in other fields of forensic science. Heightened involvement of the broader scientific community, combined with much-needed funding for independent academic research by the proposed National Institute of Forensic Science, will hopefully encourage an ethic of data sharing in the forensic science community.
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