Kumho, Daubert, and the nature of scientific inquiry: implications for forensic anthropology

In the last 15 years, the US Supreme Court has implemented major changes concerning the admittance of expert testimony. In 1993, Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals superseded the Frye ruling in federal courts and established judges, not the scientific community, as the gatekeepers regarding the credibility of scientific evidence. In 1999, a lesser-known but equally important decision, Kumho Tire v. Carmichael, ruled that technical expert testimony needed to employ the same rigor as outlined in Daubert, but experts can develop theories based on observations and apply such theories to the case before the court. Anthropology has never been defined as a hard science. Yet, many recent publications have modified existing techniques to meet the Daubert criteria, while none have discussed the significance of Kumho to anthropological testimony. This paper examines the impact of Daubert and Kumho on forensic anthropology and illustrates areas of anthropological testimony best admitted under Kumho's guidance.     

论法医临床鉴定中被鉴定人的知情同意权

临床医学中的知情同意权是医学实践中由基本伦理上升为受法律保障的患者权利,通过告知同意书的契约形式表达。法医临床鉴定中的被鉴定人与医疗体系中的患者具有类似的法律地位,但尚无相应的法律法规赋予被鉴定人知情同意权。笔者建议法医临床学鉴定中可赋予被鉴定人一定的知情同意权,在与鉴定机构的契约化关系下,参与鉴定过程,知悉必要的鉴定信息,并对鉴定意见有选择性同意权,从而实现司法鉴定程序的公平、正义。     

Quality Control System of Judicial Expertise in China

正The current quality control system of judicial expertise in China For a long time in China,the administrative organization of justice has been subordinate to universities,Ministry of Public Health,Ministry of Public Security,the Procuratorate,the Court and National Security Agency.These administrative organizations are mainly in charge of the management of judicial expertise.The quality control system     

The Impact of Negative Forensic Evidence on Mock Jurors’ Perceptions of a Trial of Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault

Legal concerns with regard to the adverse impact of a negative toxicological screening for date-rape drugs in a case of drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) were the focus of a recent Canadian case (R. v. Alouache, 2003). To assess the impact of a negative forensic report, as well as the impact of expert testimony explaining the many factors that may contribute to a negative outcome, participants (N=171) received a written trial stimulus in which the forensic evidence (negative report, negative report plus expert testimony, no negative report and no expert testimony control) and the complainant's beverage consumption (alcohol, cola) were systematically varied. Results indicate that a negative finding in the absence of expert testimony produced greater verdict leniency and more favourable evaluations of the defendant's case. In contrast, no differences were found between the case in which the expert testified and a case in which the negative report and expert testimony were omitted.

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美国专家证言的可采性研究——以美国判例与立法的互动为中心

美国对专家证言的可采性经历了弗赖伊判例"普遍接受标准"的限定到《联邦证据规则》对专家证言"关联性"和"有用性"的立法扩张,催生了达伯特判例的"综合观察标准",又因"乔因纳"、"锦湖轮胎"判例对达伯特判例的冲击,引发了涉及科学、技术和经验知识专家证言可采性的多种判断标准的纷争,导致《联邦证据规则》作出了限缩性的修正。判例与立法的互动背后演绎着专家证言可采性的判断权由"科技社群"向"法官"移转,最终法官扮演了专家证言进入法庭"守门人"的角色。美国专家证言可采性判断标准迷失于判例促发立法的互动,为我国法官如何走出依赖原有内部设立鉴定人积习提供了有益的启迪和可借鉴的经验。     

中国刑事专家辅助人向专家证人的角色转变

中国的刑事专家辅助人具有既类似于律师又类似于鉴定人、证人的多重属性;围绕专家辅助人意见的性质,也形成了质证方式说、鉴定意见说、证人证言说等多种观点。角色定位上的混乱,不仅造成了独具特色的鉴定人与专家辅助人的双轨制,而且常常使专家辅助人意见的法庭采信陷入困境。从最高人民法院有关专家辅助人的新近规定看,专家辅助人的角色呈现出向专家证人转变的趋势。这种转变的核心要求,一是实现鉴定人和专家辅助人的诉讼地位平等,专家辅助人意见和鉴定意见在专家证言意义上的证据效力平等;二是使专家辅助人回归专家证人本色,将强加给专家辅助人的不合理的质证职责交还给律师、检察官;三是提高律师、检察官熟练运用交叉询问规则、对科学证据进行质证的能力,充分发挥法官的科学证据"守门人"作用,以适应事实认定科学化的需要。     

患者死亡医疗纠纷司法鉴定24例分析

目的探讨涉及患者死亡医疗纠纷的过错成因,分析其司法鉴定的切入点。方法收集了涉及患者死亡且多次鉴定的医疗纠纷案例24例,从一般情况、科室分布、责任程度划分以及差错分析等方面进行了总结和分析。结果此类案例在技术方面存在患者自身疾病隐匿、接诊部门处理过程简单、科室之间配合不力、紧急情况下措施不果断等问题。此外,告知义务的履行、转诊时机把握以及常备抢救设施的维护等管理方面漏洞也是医疗纠纷的多发环节。结论本文可为进行此类医疗纠纷的司法鉴定提供帮助,也为避免纠纷的发生提供参考。     

A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF THE SUITABILITY AND LIMITATIONS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS IN FAMILY COURT

Psychologists are frequently consulted by the courts to provide forensic evaluations in a variety of family court proceedings. As part of their evaluations, psychologists often use psychological tests to assess parents, guardians, and children. These tests can have profound effects on how psychologists arrive at their opinions and are often cited in their reports to the court. However, psychological tests vary substantially in their suitability for these purposes. Most projective tests in particular appear to possess little scientific merit for evaluations within family court proceedings. Despite these serious limitations, expert testimony derived from evaluations using both projective and objective tests is often admitted uncontested. This article reviews the psychometric properties of psychological tests that are widely used in family court proceedings, cautions against their unfettered use, and calls upon attorneys to inform themselves of the limitations of evaluations that incorporate these tests.     

简易精神症状自陈量表对主观夸大精神症状的测试分析

目的 应用简易精神症状自陈量表检测法医精神鉴定中主观夸大精神症状的情况,并分析其测试结果。方法 对206名不同类型的法医精神鉴定的被鉴定人用该量表进行检测．并由两名鉴定专业人员对被鉴定人是否有主观夸大精神症状分别进行评定。结果 （1）以该量表判断主观故意或夸大精神症状的划界分（13分）对测试的被鉴定人进行检测,206例被鉴定人中有71例被判定为主观夸大精神症状（34．5％）。与专家评定的结果相比,量表评定的假阴性为19．8％,假阳性率为1．7％;总准确率为90．8％。（2）工伤和交通事故精神伤残理赔鉴定案例主观夸大精神症状的比例较高（51％）。结论 简易精神症状自陈量表是检测主观夸大精神症状的有效评定工具。     

72例情感性精神障碍司法精神病鉴定分析

目的 探讨情感性精神障碍患者作案特征.方法 对杭州市公安局安康医院2000-2004年鉴定的72例情感性精神障碍案例进行分析.结果 情感性精神障碍患者作案与发作次数有一定关联性,躁狂症与抑郁症危害行为有统计学意义(P<0.01).情感性障碍患者作案特征与精神分裂症不同,主要是作案的病理性动机较少,现实动机较多.结论 反复发作是情感性精神障碍患者作案的预警性指标.在作案特征上与精神分裂症有各自不同的特点,可能与病因、病情发展、症状表现和严重程度等差异有关.     

多种判定方法在半同胞姐妹关系鉴定中的综合应用

目的探讨综合运用三种不同方法进行半同胞姐妹关系的鉴定。方法对案例中的甲、甲母、乙和乙母分别使用Power Plex21试剂盒、AGCU Expressmarker 21+1试剂盒、Microreader 23sp-B试剂盒和AGCU X-19 STR试剂盒进行STR分型,根据STR分型结果分别利用ITO方法、判别函数法和IBS法进行半同胞关系鉴定。同时结合X-STR结果,进而综合判定是否为同父异母半同胞姐妹亲缘关系。结果本案例中通过ITO方法计算,HSI均在1.36×102~2.09×105之间,支持甲和乙为半同胞关系,判别函数同样得到了基本一致的结果,IBS法的结果也对此结果进行了验证。结论对于同父异母的半同胞关系鉴定,综合应用多种判定方法分析可获得较为可靠的鉴定意见。     

磁珠DNA自动提取系统在法医检验中的应用

磁珠DNA自动提取系统是将磁珠分离技术与DNA自动提取工作站结合运用,以达到高效提取DNA的目的,它具有操作时间短、准确性高、检材用量少等特点,特别适用于大批量生物检材的快速提取,是目前主流的DNA自动化提取方法。本文对磁珠DNA自动提取系统的基本组成、工作原理、操作流程及其在法医检验领域中的应用等进行了综述,并对该系统的发展前景进行了展望。