Reaching Out

• Publisher: Elsevier
• Year: 1983
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 205 KB
• Volume: 23
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0015-7368
• DOI: 10.1016/s0015-7368(83)72215-2

✦ Synopsis

Reaching Out I t sometimes seems that there is an almost infinite variety in systems of Law throughout the world. There are inquisitorial systems and accusatorial systems; some countries employ public prosecutors who not only lead the proceedings in Court but are responsible for the direction of activities at the investigative stage. Within these variations there is a further layer of variety with some offences in some countries heard before juries, others dealt with summarily, and still others dealt with by a panel ofjudges. The variety is repeated in the manner in which courts deal with forensic science evidence. In some instances the norm is to deal with a written report which is read aloud by a non-scientist to the Court, others make more frequent and indeed regular use of oral presentation of evidence by a scientist, and still others try to find areas of common ground between defence and prosecution which are accepted by written consent. Different varieties can be embodied in a single legal system, for example the pre-trial assessment of scientific evidence by a panel of experts resulting in an agreed written report being presented to the Court, as happens in Denmark.

Despite all these varieties, there is a constancy in forensic science today which is rewarding. That constancy is shown by increasing self-imposed demands for reliability of evidence and a thirst for knowledge. Forensic scientists are keen to experiment, to refine and develop, and probably most important of all, to communicate their findings to their peers and in turn to seek avidly results of work from other laboratories. The truly international nature of this professional concern is reflected by the membership of the Forensic Science Society and the circulation of the Journal.

Although the Society was founded by a handful of enthusiastic Englishmen and maintains its administrative and policy-making structure within the United Kingdom, approximately half of the members reside in other parts of the world and half or more of the subscribers to the Journal also are located outwith the United Kingdom.

In welcoming this internationalism and its repercussions, we accept that not only do legal systems vary in broad and fine detail, but there are substantial cultural differences in different parts of the world, including those which share a common language. Even that language may not be as common as we think. There is no doubt that American English, both written and spoken (even disregarding the accent) is quite different from English English as indeed are Irish, Welsh and Scottish English.

It is a particular pleasure for me therefore to welcome with this issue of the Journal three Associate Editors, Bryan Finkle from Salt Lake City, Doug Lucas from Toronto and George Sensabaugh