Author : National Research Council
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309090792
Total Pages : 227 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (9 download)
Book Synopsis Forensic Analysis by : National Research Council
Download or read book Forensic Analysis written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2004-04-26 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the 1960s, testimony by representatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in thousands of criminal cases has relied on evidence from Compositional Analysis of Bullet Lead (CABL), a forensic technique that compares the elemental composition of bullets found at a crime scene to the elemental composition of bullets found in a suspect's possession. Different from ballistics techniques that compare striations on the barrel of a gun to those on a recovered bullet, CABL is used when no gun is recovered or when bullets are too small or mangled to observe striations. Forensic Analysis: Weighing Bullet Lead Evidence assesses the scientific validity of CABL, finding that the FBI should use a different statistical analysis for the technique and that, given variations in bullet manufacturing processes, expert witnesses should make clear the very limited conclusions that CABL results can support. The report also recommends that the FBI take additional measures to ensure the validity of CABL results, which include improving documentation, publishing details, and improving on training and oversight.