Forensic reports use various types of conclusions, such as a categorical (CAT) conclusion or a likelihood ratio (LR). In order to correctly assess the evidence, users of forensic reports need to understand the conclusion and its evidential strength. The aim of this paper is to study the interpretation …

Traces of condom lubricants in fingerprints can be valuable information in cases of sexual assault. Ideally, not only confirmation of the presence of the condom but also determination of the type of condom brand used can be retrieved. Previous studies have shown to be able to retrieve information about …

Fingerprints are widely used in forensic science for individualization purposes. However, not every fingermark found at a crime scene is suitable for comparison, for instance due to distortion of ridge detail, or when the reference fingerprint is not in the database. To still retrieve information from …

Fingermarks are highly relevant in criminal investigations for individualization purposes. In some cases, the question in court changes from ‘Who is the source of the fingermarks?’ to ‘How did the fingermark end up on the surface?’. In this paper, we explore evaluation of fingermarks given activity level …

Highlights •Crime scene investigations are accompanied by cognitive challenges. •Introducing technologies at crime scenes requires research into the human factor. •Mobile technologies can impede the investigation without studying the impact.

Mobile Rapid DNA technology is close to being incorporated into crime scene investigations, with the potential to identify a perpetrator within hours. However, the use of these techniques entails the risk of losing the sample and potential evidence, because the device not only consumes the inserted sample, …

Currently, implementation research in the field of forensic risk assessment is limited and consensus on “implementation success” is lacking. This study applies outcomes of success from implementation science to the implementation evaluation of the Short-Term Assessment of Risk and Treatability: Adolescent …

In this paper, we describe a promising method to evaluate the location of fingermarks on two-dimensional objects, which provides valuable information for the evaluation of fingermarks at activity level. For this purpose, an experiment with pillowcases was conducted at the Dutch music festival Lowlands, …

This study examined if a macro-, meso-, and micro outcome measurement instrument that constitutes the evaluation stage of a Dutch forensic psychiatric outcome monitor, the Hoeven Outcome Monitor (HOM), can provide a first step towards a more evidence based groundwork in forensic mental health. General, …

Crime scenes can always be explained in multiple ways. Traces alone do not provide enough information to infer a whole series of events that has taken place; they only provide clues for these inferences. CSIs need additional information to be able to interpret observed traces. In the near future, a new …