Page 27 - Forensic News Journal Oct Nov 2017

Science And Technology: Their Relationship with Law

the extent of actual and but they testify together at How would these tech-

latent damage to humans trial-discussing the case, niques benefit the justice
and environment, and asking each other ques- delivery system?
there are uncertainties in tions, responding to inqui-

F accepting the technology ries from the judge and the Is our society ready for the

O installed by the polluter to lawyers, finding common implications that genom-
R conform to environmental ground and sharpening the ics brings to every facet of
E standards. In some civil open issues. According our lives?

N cases where handwriting, to UCLA law professor Is our society struggling
S forgery, or paternity issues Jennifer Mnookin, “’Hot with the ethical and social

I are involved there is ex- Tubbing is much more issues thrown up by the
C tensive use of scientific new biology such as
techniques. The Courts “Science is a compel- human cloning, use of

M are thus dependent and, ling and commanding animals in biomedical
E in fact, compelled to weapon in the armory research, etc.?

T analyze evidence of ex- of administration of
H perts examined on each justice. Forensic Sci- With the rapid progress
O side. There is again the in science, are laws in

D difficulty of evaluating ence is a science per- their present form really
O the conflicting expert taining to law” able to deliver justice

L evidence adduced by efficiently or is some re-
O the contesting parties thinking in the form of
G in an adversarial judicial interesting than neutral ex- new laws or amendments

Y process. However, none perts.” to existing laws required?
can deny that expert wit-
nesses retained by parties DEVELOPMENTS Before any major changes

often are partisan. In such TILL DATE AND THE can be effected, all stake-
cases, the technique of RECENT TREND holders have to sit to-
“Hot Tubbing” must be gether and look for the

embraced. The Australians In this era of genomics, of answers to these unsolved
discovered the technique crime prevention and of problems. This contact

of “Hot Tubbing” to im- conviction the following which was missing in
prove expert evidence. In questions need special at- India became a reality
this procedure, also called tentionIs the legal profes- when the first ever confer-

concurrent evidence, par- sion ready for this new ence of this kind was held.
ties still choose experts, information? This conference, who’s

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