Managing Epistemic Risk in Forensic Science: Sociological Aspects and Issues

Lawless, C.

Abstract

The last decades have seen a notable increase in the use of scientific evidence in criminal investigation, a development which has captured the imagination of the media, publics and policymakers alike. Yet behind the authoritative image of forensic science lies a highly fluid and indeterminate landscape which invites sociological interest. In what follows, I aim to provide a sense of why it holds appeal to sociology, and to also outline a more updated research agenda in the light of continuing developments and deliberation within both sociological and forensic scientific circles. This renewed agenda revolves around the topic of risk. I outline recent developments which represent new approaches to the problem of epistemic risk in forensic science. With reference to a specific example (the ‘Case Assessment and Interpretation’ method of evidence assessment), I argue for the importance of studying risk-aware practices in forensic investigation, and how these help to reveal further how forensic science can be regarded as a complicated, heterogeneous and highly socialised human activity, in stark contrast to the immutable and technologically sophisticated image often promulgated in popular accounts.

Citation

Lawless, C. (2010). Managing Epistemic Risk in Forensic Science: Sociological Aspects and Issues. Sociology Compass, 4(6), 381-392. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9020.2010.00280.x

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jun 1, 2010
• Deposit Date: Aug 20, 2012
• Journal: Sociology Compass
• Electronic ISSN: 1751-9020
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 4
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 381-392
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9020.2010.00280.x
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1497485