Never before has expert evidence found itself on shakier ground. Legal practitioners are questioning its value, scholars its character, the Law Commission its admissibility and the courts its parameters. Who are lawyers to judge science and how might they do it? What is the future of expert evidence?
In April 2011 the Law Commission warned the government of an urgent need to avert the pressing danger of wrongful convictions by reforming the law on expert evidence. On 9 June, policy advisors, leading academics and practitioners gathered to discuss the future of expert evidence at a Queen Mary Criminal Justice Centre conference.
Key concerns to emerge from the proceedings include the danger posed by the rapid commercialisation of forensic science and the unreliability of much of the expertise presently being relied upon. Listen to the podcasts of the Expert Evidence Conference.