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Biasability and reliability of expert forensic document examiners
Itiel E Dror1, Kyle C Scherr2, Linton A Mohammed3
1University College London, London, United Kingdom.
Forensic Science International
|December 28, 2020
Summary
Forensic document experts
Area of Science:
- Forensic Science
- Psychology of Expertise
Background:
- Expert performance is assessed by biasability and reliability.
- Forensic document experts analyze disputed handwriting evidence in legal cases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the judgments of practicing forensic handwriting experts.
- To determine if case information (prosecution vs. defense) influences expert conclusions.
Main Methods:
- Twenty-five practicing forensic document experts participated.
- Participants were unaware they were in a study.
- Half were told the case was for the prosecution, half for the defense.
Main Results:
- No evidence of bias was found based on case information (prosecution vs. defense).
- High variability in judgments was observed within examiner groups, suggesting inconsistency.
- The findings may be influenced by the lack of a centralized forensic laboratory culture for document examiners.
Conclusions:
- Practicing forensic handwriting experts' judgments were not biased by case direction in this study.
- Inconsistency in conclusions among examiners warrants further investigation.
- Future research should consider the unique work environment of document examiners.
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