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Volume 7, Issue 5 (Suppl) J Forensic Res 2016
ISSN: 2157-7145, JFR an open access journal Forensic Research 2016
October 31-November 02, 2016
October 31-November 02, 2016 San Francisco, USA
5th International Conference on
Forensic Research & Technology
Principle-based ethics in forensic science: Rise, fall and impact of Combined Probability of Inclusion/Exclusion
(CPI/E) in DNAmixtures
George W Adams
National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, USA
There appears to be little understanding of the necessity of principle-based ethics in forensic science, and its application is
uncommon. Literature is replete with discussions of forensic science ethical practices and exemplars in general and within specific
disciplines. Current literature and discussions focus mainly on codes of conduct of associations, organizations and roles of scientific,
technical working groups. Ethical codes of conduct are thus established on organizational mandates, rules, competency/proficiency
guidelines, legal interpretations, and negotiated guidelines of credentialing or authoritative entities. It is additionally argued that
the current status ethics in forensic science is of a values-based nature, void of necessary foundational principles (as presented).
Values-based ethics are subjective in nature that morphs via specific discipline, circumstance, or resulting outcomes– right or wrong
depending on one’s values or culture. As such forensic science has suffered a loss of confidence with its application in the criminal
justice system by the public with recent revelations of problems with hair analysis, bite mark testimony, bullet lead analysis, CODIS
allele frequency errors, and DNA mixture interpretations. Principles are objective natural laws of the human experience that do not
change with situation, time, culture or circumstance, and are at the core of every successful individual, entity and institution. The rise,
fall and impact of CPI/E in DNA mixture interpretation will be presented from the perspective of principle-based ethics that have
been known for hundreds of years to help restore the public confidence in the application of forensic science in the criminal justice
environment.
Biography
George W Adams is a former National Director of National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs, 2011/2015), Program Manager at University of
North Texas Center for Human Identification (2005/2011) and the author of “Utilizing Forensic Technologies for Unidentified Human Remains: Death Investigation
Resources, Strategies, and Disconnects” (Taylor & Francis, 2015). He holds a Master of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice (UTA -2013) and Bachelor of
Business Administration (1972), and a member of Texas Municipal Police Officers Association. His research pursues two vectors– unbiased understanding of
forensic DNA application and elevating the empirical nature of criminal investigations.
George W Adams, J Forensic Res 2016, 7:5(Suppl)