Second Annual National Conference on Science and the Law, Summary of Proceedings

摘要

The Second Annual National Conference on Science and the Law brought together members of the scientific, legal, and academic communities to examine and promote an understanding of science among legal professionals and to promote an understanding of the legal system among scientists. The conference, held October 1014, 2000, in San Diego, California, was sponsored by the National Institute of Justice, the American Bar Association, the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, and the National Center for State Courts in collaboration with the National Academy of Sciences and the Federal Judicial Center. Conference speakers explored emerging areas and changing standards of admissibility; concerns surrounding risk assessment and predictions of dangerousness; expert testimony and the role of the judge, jurors, and attorneys; DNA evidence as it is used now and how it may be used in the future; and changes in the treatment of evidence admitted to the court, illustrated through discussions of the Clutter murder case of the 1960s. This report summarizes the conference presentations and discussions.