Forensic Anthropology and the United States Judicial System

Edited by Laura C. Fulginiti Forensic Anthropologist with the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner in the State of Arizona, USA Kristen Hartnett-McCann Forensic Anthropologist with the State of Connecticut, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, USA Alison Galloway Forensic Anthropologist at the University of California,??Santa Cruz, USA

• Notes on contributors xiiiPreface xixSeries preface xxiiiForeword xxvAcknowledgments xxixAbout the editors xxxiGlossary xxxiiiPart I Context1 Confrontation: where forensic science meets the sixth amendment 3Jennifer C. Love and Laura C. Fulginiti1.1 Sixth amendment 41.1.1 Ohio v. Roberts, 448 U.S. 56 (1980). Argued November 26, 1979 – decided June 23, 1980, 51.1.2 Crawford v. Washington, 541 U.S. 36 (2004). Argued November 10, 2003 – decided March 8, 2004, 71.1.3 Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts, 557 U.S. 305 (2009). Argued November 10, 2008 – decided June 25, 2009, 81.1.4 Bullcoming v. New Mexico, 564 U.S. 647 (2011). Argued March 2, 2011 – decided June 23, 2011, 101.1.5 Williams v. Illinois, 567 U.S. 50 (2012). Argued December 6, 2011, – decided June 18, 2012, 111.2 Impact on forensic practitioners 121.A Appendix 141.A.1 Example of Florida application to compel testimony 161.A.2 Example of Arizona court order in response to Florida request 17References 172 “Somewhere in this twilight”: the circumstances leading to the National Academy of Sciences’ report 19Thomas Holland and Christian Crowder2.1 Introduction 192.2 The long road to Daubert 202.2.1 The Frye standard of general acceptance 202.3 The federal rules of evidence 222.4 The rise of the toxic tort 242.5 Daubert and the supremacy of the FRE 252.6 The aftermath of Daubert 282.7 Llera Plaza and the assault on fingerprints 282.8 Fear, reality, and forensic anthropology 302.9 The gauntlet is thrown: the NAS gets involved 312.10 The CSI effect 312.11 The congressional response 322.12 The forensic sciences respond 332.13 Picking up the gauntlet 342.14 Conclusions 35Notes 37References 383 From the laboratory to the witness stand: research trends and method validation in forensic anthropology 41Jonathan D. Bethard and Elizabeth A. DiGangi3.1 Introduction 413.2 Research in forensic anthropology – a bibliometric survey 433.3 Court decisions and research 483.4 Conclusion and a path forward 49Acknowledgments 50References 504 Expertise and the expert witness: contemporary educational foundations of forensic anthropology 53Katelyn L. Bolhofner and Andrew C. Seidel4.1 A brief historical overview of the discipline 544.2 The educational background of early forensic anthropologists 554.3 The forensic anthropologist as expert witness 574.4 Current educational programs and training opportunities 584.4.1 Contemporary educational programs for forensic anthropologists 594.4.2 Casework and training opportunities 634.5 Conclusion and future directions 65References 67Part II The rubber meets the road5 Transparency in forensic anthropology through the implementation of quality assurance practices 71Julie M. Fleischman, Michal L. Pierce, and Christian M. Crowder5.1 Introduction 715.2 Overview of laboratory quality assurance and management 745.2.1 Corrective and preventive actions 745.3 Training and continuous education 745.4 Importance of QA for anthropologists 765.5 Quality assurance for forensic anthropology methods and equipment 775.5.1 Establishing laboratory SOPs 775.6 Various measures of quality 795.7 Implications of QA in the courtroom 855.7.1 Legal rulings affecting anthropology 855.8 Accreditation 865.9 Conclusions 86References 876 Report writing and case documentation in forensic anthropology 89Lauren Zephro and Alison Galloway6.1 The audience(s) 906.2 The report begins with documentation of workflow 916.3 Chain of custody 946.4 Managing the information flow 946.5 Processing the remains and storage considerations 966.6 Contemporaneous bench notes and standard forms 966.7 Casting radiography and other methods of documentation 986.8 The report 986.8.1 Format of the case report 986.8.2 Background 996.8.3 Condition of the remains 1006.8.4 Biological profile 1016.8.5 Trauma analysis 1026.8.6 Postmortem interval and the time since death 1056.8.7 Report summary and disposition 1066.9 Appendices 1066.10 Final steps 1076.11 Conclusion 108References 1087 Skull shots: forensic photography for anthropologists 109Lauren Zephro and Alison Galloway7.1 Equipment 1107.2 Taking photographs with an eye to courtroom presentation 1107.3 Labeling photographs 1177.4 Photomicroscopy and Videography 1187.5 Image processing 1197.6 Conclusion 120References 1218 The peer review process: expectations and responsibilities 123Kristen Hartnett-McCann, Laura C. Fulginiti, Alison Galloway, and Katherine M. Taylor8.1 Introduction 1238.2 Historical use of peer review 1248.3 Principles underlying peer review in Forensic Anthropology 1258.4 Available guidance on peer review 1268.5 Considerations 1288.6 Current status of peer review in forensic anthropological casework 1308.7 Recommendations on peer review of forensic anthropology case work 1318.8 Conclusions 136Acknowledgments 1368.A Example of a peer review form (modified from Dana Austin, personal communication) 1378.B Example of a peer review form (modified from Lauren Zephro, personal communication) 138References 1389 The United States justice system and forensic anthropology: preparing for court 141Daniel G. Martin and Laura C. Fulginiti9.1 The United States court system 1419.1.1 Types of cases 1429.2 Understanding the judicial process 1439.2.1 The criminal process 1449.2.2 The civil process 1489.3 The role of the forensic anthropologist 1519.3.1 Criminal cases 1519.3.2 Civil cases 1609.4 The courtroom: etiquette and pitfalls 162References 16510 Litigation graphics in the courtroom presentation of forensic anthropology 167Gary Hodges10.1 Color 16910.2 Font 17010.3 Layout 17010.4 Clarity of purpose 17210.5 The problem-solution approach to visual aids 17210.6 Case study 17410.7 Conclusion 180References 18111 Maintaining independence in an adversarial system: expert witness testimony in forensic anthropology 183Eric J. Bartelink, Laura C. Fulginiti, Alison Galloway, and Katherine M. Taylor11.1 Criminal vs. civil cases 18511.2 Courtroom roles and rules 18711.3 Case studies 18911.3.1 Case study 1 18911.3.2 Case study 2 19111.3.3 Case study 3 19311.3.4 Case study 4 19511.4 Conclusion 196References 19712 Valuing your time: appropriate calculation of fees and expenses as an expert witness 199Alison Galloway, Eric J. Bartelink, and Kristen Hartnett-McCann12.1 History of expert witnesses and compensation 20012.2 Models of compensation 20012.2.1 Retainers 20112.2.2 Fee for service 20112.2.3 Fee for service considerations 20312.2.4 Pro bono 20512.2.5 Reasonable expenses 20612.3 Unethical billing practices 20712.4 Invoicing 20812.5 The professional expert 20912.6 Conclusions 21012.A Appendix 211References 212Index 213