PCAST Report (2016)
Definition
The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology 2016 report on forensic science that found firearms mark analysis had not yet met the foundational validity criteria it proposed, recommending additional validation studies before claims of near-zero error rate are made in court.
- Scope
- Assessed firearms marks, bite marks, and fingerprint analysis.
- Key recommendation
- For fingerprint examination, courts must require disclosure of false-positive error rates from proficiency studies. For firearms and bite-mark analysis, additional validation studies are needed before near-zero error rates should be claimed in court.
- Main finding
- Several traditional forensic disciplines had not met modern standards for foundational validity.
Common questions
What did the PCAST 2016 report conclude about firearms mark analysis?+
The report found that firearms mark analysis had not yet met foundational validity criteria. It recommended additional validation studies before courts should accept claims of near-zero error rates in testimony.
Why did the PCAST report raise concerns about bite-mark analysis?+
The report concluded that bite-mark analysis lacked foundational validity. It recommended that courts require additional validation evidence before admitting bite-mark expert testimony.
What did PCAST say about fingerprint examination?+
Unlike some techniques, the report found fingerprint examination has foundational validity. However, it noted that false-positive error rates from proficiency studies are insufficiently studied and must be disclosed to courts.
Related terms
- ABFO
- American Board of Forensic Odontology: the specialty certification body in the United States that examines and certifies forensic odontologists as Diplomates, and...
- 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...
- AFTE Theory of Identification
- The Association of Firearm and Tool Mark Examiners' standard (1992, revised 2011) for reporting tool-mark comparison conclusions as Identification, Inconclusive, or Elimination...
- BalliScan 3D
- Foster and Freeman's three-dimensional topographic bullet comparison instrument that maps striated surfaces using structured-light interferometry for both optical and digital comparison workflows.
- Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023 (BSA)
- India's current evidence statute, which replaced the Indian Evidence Act 1872. Section 63 of the BSA governs electronic records and requires a...
- Blind Verification
- The procedure in which a second fingerprint examiner independently performs the Analysis and Comparison stages without knowledge of the first examiner's conclusion....
- CFSL
- Central Forensic Science Laboratory: a central government lab operating under DFSS. India has CFSLs at New Delhi, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Pune, Guwahati,...
- Class Characteristics
- Features deliberately or systematically imparted to a group of items by design or manufacture, such as the calibre of a bullet, the...
- Comparison Microscope
- Two compound microscope bodies connected by an optical bridge that presents one half of each body's image in a single split eyepiece...
- Confirmation Bias
- The cognitive tendency to search for, interpret, favour, and recall information in a way that confirms or supports one's prior beliefs or...
- Consecutive Matching Striae (CMS)
- A run of adjacent, individually corresponding striae observed across two bullets in the comparison microscope split field. The length of the longest...
- DVI (Disaster Victim Identification)
- The systematic multi-agency process for identifying victims of mass-casualty events, governed by the INTERPOL DVI Guide 2018 revision. Organises work into five...
Explained in these topics
- Bullet Striation Comparison and the Comparison MicroscopeThe President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology 2016 report on forensic science that found firearms mark analysis had not yet met the foundationa...
- History of Forensic Odontology and Landmark CasesThe President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology report on forensic science that found bite-mark analysis lacked foundational validity and recomme...
- Major Fingerprint Error Cases: Mayfield, McKie and Indian PrecedentsReport of the US President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology concluding that fingerprint examination has foundational validity but that false-pos...