The use of “junk science” in investigation and trial practices can lead not only to the arrest and conviction of innocent people but also to impunity for real criminals. Furthermore, a criminal justice system not based on evidence causes the state to waste resources on procedures without practical results. Based on this premise, the special series of reports addresses the causes and consequences of the misuse of scientific knowledge in the justice system. Content production was the responsibility of a multidisciplinary team of researchers (law and forensic sciences).

The project is coordinated by professor and researcher at the Faculty of Law of the Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez (Chile), Rachel Herdy, who has been developing research and publishing works on expertise, science and courts since 2012.

Team:

A multidisciplinary team of investigators (Law and Forensic Sciences) will carry out the reports. The group includes: the professor and researcher from the Department of Chemistry at the University of São Paulo (Ribeirão Preto), with studies in the area of forensic chemistry, Aline Thaís Bruni; the federal criminal expert, with studies on analysis and interpretation of evidence, Paulo Akira Kunii; the professor of evidentiary law and researcher at the Alberto Hurtado University (Chile), as well as a digital influencer in the area of criminal evidence, with studies on personal recognition, Janaina Matida; the professor of criminal procedure and researcher at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora, with studies on jury trials, Marcella Mascarenhas Nardelli; the psychology professor at IMED, with studies on cognitive biases, false memories and personal recognition, William Weber Cecconello; the procedural analyst at the Public Ministry of Rio de Janeiro, with studies on expert evidence and pseudosciences in the Judiciary, Juliana Melo Dias; and the intern, master’s student in the Postgraduate Program in Law at UFRJ, with a dissertation on the reliability of expert evidence, Michael Guedes.

Read the first and second reports.