Forensic reasoning and uncertainty: Identifying pattern and impression expertise (2012-2016)

Fingerprint evidence has been presented in criminal courts for more than a century without any scientific investigation of the human capacity to discriminate these patterns and impressions. This research will result in a better understanding of the source of identification errors, the factors that influence performance, and the nature of expertise in identification. We will provide a scientific basis for demonstrating the validity of forensic methods and measures of uncertainty in the conclusions of forensic analyses. Upholding legal processes and criminal justice social legitimacy through more reliable forensic evidence will help to prevent wrongful convictions and permit rightful convictions.