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Kaye discusses forensic statistics for the National Association of Attorneys General


UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. –Distinguished Professor of Law David H. Kaye delivered two lectures on forensic statistics at the National Forensic Science Symposium of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) on July 19 in Washington, D.C.

Kaye’s first lecture, “Forensic Statistics 101: Validity, Reliability, & Error,” centered on the meaning of validity and reliability in science and law, and described the nature and quantification of measurement error, statistical error, and statistical inference.

The second lecture, “Forensic Statistics 102: Likelihood & Weight of Evidence,” covered topics such as weight of evidence, Bayes’ rule, and the probative value of forensic identification methods such as microscopic hair comparisons, associating cartridge cases with firearms, latent fingerprint identification, and DNA profiling.

The National Forensic Science Symposium is a national training session for prosecutors. It was organized by NAAG’s National Attorneys General Training and Research Institute and its Center for Ethics and Public Integrity.

Kaye is an expert on scientific evidence and statistics in law. He holds degrees from MIT, Harvard, and Yale universities. The author of The Double Helix and the Law of Evidence (Harvard University Press) and many other books on forensic science, statistics, and law, Kaye has served on committees of the National Academy of Sciences and national commissions and expert working groups established by the Department of Justice and the National Institute of Standards and Technology to improve the use of forensic science in the legal system.

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