The New Interdisciplinary Forensic Science
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/jols.12006 |
| Date | 01 December 2016 |
| Published date | 01 December 2016 |
Review Articles
The New Interdisciplinary Forensic Science
Paul Roberts*
FORENSIC SCIENCE: A SOCIOLOGICAL INTRODUCTION by
CHRISTOPHER LAWLESS
(Abingdon: Routledge, 2016, xiv + 195 pp., £31.99)
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF EVIDENCE LAW by
MICHAEL J. SAKS and BARBARA A. SPELLMAN
(New York: NYU Press, 2016, xiv + 325 pp., $38.00)
On the face of it, the two titles examined here are rather different works with
disparate subject matter targeting divergent audiences. But dig a little deeper
and unifying themes quickly emerge. Both books are concerned with the
production, presentation, and evaluation of legal (or `forensic') evidence. In
terms of methodology, there is a shared commitment to re-examining legal
phenomena from alternative disciplinary perspectives. One might fairly
characterize both publications as contributing to an emergent, inter-
disciplinary Evidence and Proof scholarship, reclaiming and repurposing
the original, juridical meaning of `forensics' as the study of legal argumenta-
tion, doctrinal and evidential analysis, inferential reasoning and decision.
I. FORENSIC SOCIOLOGY
Christopher Lawless presents a `sociological' introduction to `forensic
science'. His general approach is socio-legal in the broadest sense, though
particularly informed by science and technology studies (STS). Lawless sets
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*School of Law, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham
NG7 2RD, England; UNSW Law, Law Building, UNSW, Sydney, NSW 2052,
Australia; Collaborative Innovation Center of Judicial Civilization, CUPL,
23 Xitucheng Rd., Haidian District, Beijing, China
paul.roberts@nottingham.ac.uk
ß2016 The Author. Journal of Law and Society ß2016 Cardiff University Law School
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