Quality management in forensic science / Sean Doyle.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Doyle, Sean, 1955- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Forensic sciences.

Crime laboratories.

Quality control.

Quality control--Standards.

Physical Description:

xxxviii, 387 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

London ; San Diego ; Cambridge, MA ; Kidlington, Oxford : Elsevier : Academic Press, [2019]

Summary:

Forensic science has been under scrutiny for some time, since the release of the NAS report in 2009. The report cited the need for standardized practices and the accreditation of crime labs. No longer can the forensic community take the position that cross-examination in a courtroom will expose weaknesses in methodology and execution. Quality Management in Forensic Science covers a wide spectrum of forensic disciplines, relevant ISO and non-ISO standards, accreditation and quality management systems necessary in any forensic science laboratory. Written by a globally well-respected forensic scientist with decades of experience in the forensic science laboratory and on the stand, as an expert witness who is also a Fellow of both the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences. This book will be a must-have resource for all forensic science stakeholders, particularly law enforcement agents and lawyers less familiar with the impact of quality management on the reliability of scientific evidence.

Contents:

1 Brief Introduction to Some Important Concepts and Key Terms p. 1

1.3 Quality Management p. 7

1.4 Metrology p. 15

1.5 Cognitive Bias p. 22

2 Organizations Exercising Responsibility for Quality Management in Forensic Science p. 25

2.2 Standards, Development and Setting Organizations p. 25

2.3 Accrediting Bodies p. 42

2.4 Bodies Providing Regulatory or Oversight Functions p. 46

2.5 Networks of Forensic Science Providers p. 52

2.6 National Institute of Forensic Science Australia and New Zealand (NIFS) p. 56

2.7 Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) p. 57

3 An Introduction to the Standards Applicable to the Management, Practice, and Delivery of Forensic Science p. 63

3.2 Level 1 Standards-ISO (International Organization for Standardization) Standards p. 69

3.3 Level 2 Standards-Guidance Documents on the Interpretation and Application of Level 1 Standards p. 85

3.4 Level 3 Standards-Related to the "Nuts and Bolts" of the Forensic Science Process p. 100

3.5 Level 4 Standard-Methods and Procedures p. 150

4 Historical Perspective: Significant Events/Steps in the Development of Quality Management in Forensic Science p. 155

4.2 Miscarriages of Justice p. 157

4.3 Performance p. 162

4.4 The Forensic Exploitation of DNA and Its Development as an Evidence Type p. 196

4.5 The Development of Quality Standards p. 207

5 Current Practice: The Practical Application of Quality Management p. 221

5.2 The Practical Application of ISO/IEC 17025 and 17020 p. 221

5.3 The Elements of a Quality Management System (QMS) Conforming to ISO/IEC 17025/20 p. 233

5.4 Obtaining and Maintaining Accreditation p. 236

5.5 Flexible Scope Accreditation p. 241

5.6 A Quality Failure p. 243

6 Discipline-Specific Quality Management p. 245

6.2 DNA p. 251

6.3 Feature-Comparison Disciplines p. 254

6.4 Forensic Chemistry p. 274

6.5 Forensic Biology p. 305

6.6 Scene Examination p. 306

7 Current Issues p. 325

7.2 External Factors: Philosophy, Logic, Politics, and Economics p. 325

7.3 Focus on Laboratory Activities p. 334

7.4 Independence p. 334

7.5 Fragmentation, Disharmony, and Nonstandardization p. 336

7.6 The Impact of Scientific and Technological Developments p. 337

7.7 Access to Documented Standards and Transparency p. 337

7.8 Streamlined Forensic Reporting p. 340.

Notes:

Includes index.

Other Format:

ebook version :

ISBN:

0128054166

9780128054161

OCLC:

1022794523