Structured decision making in investigations involving digital and multimedia evidence
Elénore Ryser, Hannes Spichiger, Eoghan Casey · Forensic Science International Digital Investigation · 2020
Practitioners in all forensic disciplines are under growing pressure to meet the rising demand for interpretation of forensic observations based on strong scientific foundations. Following principles of scientific interpretation increases the reliability and defensibility of decisions throughout an investigation, not only in the final expert testimony phase. Such formalization of decision making is particularly valuable when dealing with digital and multimedia evidence, due to the potential for information overload, inaccuracy, error and bias. To confront these challenges consistently and to reduce the risk of mistakes, this paper extends a well-established logical framework for structured decision making to all phases of a digital investigation. Using examples derived from real world cases, this work demonstrates how the principles of scientific interpretation can strengthen all phases of the investigative process.