Roberts, Paul; Stockdale, Michael --- "Introduction: forensic science, evidential reliability and institutional reform" [2018] ELECD 1156; in Roberts, Paul; Stockdale, Michael (eds), "Forensic Science Evidence and Expert Witness Testimony" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2018) 1

Book Title: Forensic Science Evidence and Expert Witness Testimony

Editor(s): Roberts, Paul; Stockdale, Michael

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN: 9781788111027

Section Title: Introduction: forensic science, evidential reliability and institutional reform

Author(s): Roberts, Paul; Stockdale, Michael

Number of pages: 26

Extract:

Introduction: forensic science, evidential reliability and institutional reform Paul Roberts and Michael Stockdale GENESIS This volume arises from a longstanding collaboration between scholars associated with the Northumbria Centre for Evidence & Criminal Justice Studies (NCECJS), part of Northumbria Law School, Northumbria University, in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Directed since its founding by Michael Stockdale, NCECJS celebrated its tenth anniversary in October 2016. The project was catalysed by a Modern Law Review-sponsored workshop on The Reliability of Expert Evidence in Criminal Proceedings hosted by NCECJS in 2010, which focussed on discussion of the Law Commission's recently published consultation paper on the admissibility of expert evidence.1 The editors and several eventual contributors met here for the first time and, as lively discussion spilled over from the final session of the day into a long and congenial dinner, the idea of producing a collaborative work exploring contemporary issues in forensic science and expert witness testimony was hatched. As the project evolved and took on more definite shape, through a series of further meetings and in response to emerging events and rapidly changing policy and regulatory environments, the twin themes of evidential reliability and institutional reform emerged as its fulcrum. The last decade has witnessed significant adjustments to criminal procedure in many legal jurisdictions, including England and Wales, coupled with ongoing controversy surrounding the validity of many traditional forensic science techniques. Against this dynamic backdrop, this volume explores the pressing issue of whether the reliability of forensic science and other expert evidence may ...