NAS 2009 Report
Definition
The National Academy of Sciences report 'Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward' (2009), which critiqued the scientific foundations of multiple forensic disciplines including fingerprint analysis and called for empirical error-rate studies and the development of validated statistical models for conclusions.
- Full Title
- Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward
- Source
- National Academies of Sciences
- Key Focus
- Scientific validation, error rates, and statistical frameworks for forensic disciplines including fingerprint analysis
Common questions
What is the NAS 2009 Report and why does it matter in forensics?+
The NAS 2009 Report is a National Academies of Sciences publication titled 'Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward.' It critiqued the scientific foundations of multiple forensic disciplines, particularly fingerprint analysis, and called for empirical error-rate studies and validated statistical models for forensic conclusions.
What specific problems did the NAS report identify with fingerprint examination?+
The report criticized the lack of validated error rates and probabilistic frameworks in fingerprint identification. It highlighted that many forensic disciplines lacked rigorous scientific validation and triggered a global reform conversation about how forensic evidence is presented in court.
Did the NAS report lead to changes in forensic practice?+
The report triggered a global reform conversation across forensic disciplines. It emphasized the need for empirical research to establish reliability, transparent communication of uncertainty in forensic conclusions, and development of statistical models to replace subjective claims of certainty.
Related terms
- ACE-V
- Analysis, Comparison, Evaluation, Verification: the four-stage method for latent print examination used by accredited forensic fingerprint laboratories. Analysis examines the latent in...
- Black-Box Study
- A study in which qualified examiners are given realistic test cases with known ground truth and asked to make decisions under conditions...
- BSA 2023
- Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023: the Indian evidence statute that replaced the Indian Evidence Act 1872 on 1 July 2024; retains the section...
- CrimPR Part 19
- Criminal Procedure Rules Part 19 (England and Wales): the expert-witness procedural code requiring disclosure of qualifications, methodology, limitations, and whether the method...
- Daubert Standard
- The US federal evidentiary standard (Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, 1993) requiring that expert testimony be based on scientifically valid methods with...
- Eccrine Sweat Gland
- A coiled secretory gland in the deep dermis that opens via a straight duct to a pore on the friction ridge crest....
- Evaluative Reporting
- A framework for expressing forensic conclusions in terms of the probability of the evidence given the prosecution hypothesis versus the defence hypothesis...
- False-Positive Rate
- The proportion of authentic media files that a detection tool incorrectly classifies as manipulated or synthetic. Deepfake detectors and ELA tools both...
- Friction Ridge Skin
- Specialised volar skin on fingers, palms, and soles characterised by parallel ridges and furrows, absence of hair follicles, and a high density...
- Individuality
- The claim that no two persons share an identical friction ridge configuration at any corresponding digit. Supported empirically by the absence of...
- Individualization
- The forensic claim that a friction-ridge mark was made by one specific person to the exclusion of all others; the categorical form...
- Monozygotic Twin Distinction
- Despite sharing a genome, monozygotic twins develop different ridge configurations at the minutia level, demonstrating that ridge individuality arises from non-genetic developmental...
Explained in these topics
- Expert Testimony and the 2009 NAS Critique of Fingerprint IDThe National Academy of Sciences report 'Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward' (2009), which critiqued the scientific foundation...
- Friction Ridge Anatomy and In-Utero DevelopmentThe National Academies of Sciences report 'Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward,' which criticised the lack of validated error r...