{"id":72276,"date":"2016-04-28T09:10:21","date_gmt":"2016-04-28T13:10:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=72276"},"modified":"2018-06-20T11:27:45","modified_gmt":"2018-06-20T15:27:45","slug":"ucf-forensic-science-helps-set-standards-educate-public-on-real-csi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/ucf-forensic-science-helps-set-standards-educate-public-on-real-csi\/","title":{"rendered":"Âé¶¹Ó³»´«Ã½ Forensic Science Helps Set Standards, Educate Public on Real CSI"},"content":{"rendered":"
\u201cCSI\u201d and its television spin-off shows make forensic science seem like an exact study that will deliver a sure conviction or exoneration in court. In real life, there\u2019s a lot of confusion about forensic evidence, and other than DNA it is rarely introduced into the courtroom.<\/p>\n
Âé¶¹Ó³»´«Ã½ forensic scientist Candice Bridge is working alongside her peers and a national organization to change that and give prosecutors and public defenders more knowledge about what forensic science can and cannot do. Ultimately, she sees her work as helping victims get justice.<\/p>\n
Bridge, who previously worked for the Defense Forensic Science Center and U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Laboratory, knows first-hand what a challenge forensic evidence can be. She was a forensic chemist and worked analyzing evidence from fire debris and explosive cases.<\/p>\n
\u201cOutside of the TV shows, most people think forensic science is a difficult field because of the amount of math and chemical formulas that is required in some forensic disciplines,\u201d Bridge said. The general public\u2019s understanding is even more confounded thanks to Hollywood, which hasn\u2019t made it any easier to explain to juries what the evidence can and cannot show.<\/p>\n
\u201cCurrently, there is a lot of discussion in the academic field itself about the evidentiary value each piece of evidence has in a criminal investigation,\u201d Bridge said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTake DNA. There\u2019s a lot of misinformation about it. Yes, DNA can place a person in a location, but it is just one tool. You can use other forensic data to help corroborate or disprove a suspect\u2019s account. DNA becomes significantly important when the suspect emphatically states that they weren\u2019t at a crime scene, when their DNA was found there. Otherwise, there are plenty of reasons someone\u2019s DNA can be at a crime scene without being directly associated with the crime that occurred.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bridge holds a joint appointment between the Âé¶¹Ó³»´«Ã½ Chemistry Department and the National Center for Forensic Science, where she conducts her research to develop modern analytical methods and interpretation of forensic evidence. In addition to conducting research, this semester she worked on developing the center\u2019s first speaker series on \u201cThe Intersection of Science, Statistics and the Law.\u201d It was an effort to bring together attorneys, forensic scientists and academics to discuss the future of forensic science in America and to educate the local legal and law enforcement communities about the evidentiary value and the use of science and statistics in criminal litigation. Orlando\u2019s Seaside Bank helped sponsor the series.<\/p>\n
Several speakers briefed attendees on topics from the challenges of introducing modern-day interpretation of scientific evidence to how to objectively and statistically interpret pattern-based evidence.\u00a0 More than 130 attended the three meetings.<\/p>\n