A single incriminating fingerprint can land someone in jail. But, Laura Spinney finds, there is little empirical basis for such decisions.
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References
A Review of the FBI's Handling of the Brandon Mayfield Case (Office of the Inspector General Oversight and Review Division, 2006).
Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward (National Academies, 2009).
Dror, I. E. & Charlton, D. J. Forensic Identification 56, 600-616 (2006).
Leadbetter, M. Fingerprint Whorld 33, 231 (2007).
Additional information
See Editorial, page 325 ; Opinion, page 351 ; and online at www.nature.com/scienceincourt .
Laura Spinney is a freelance writer based in Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Spinney, L. Science in court: The fine print. Nature 464, 344–346 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/464344a
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/464344a
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