Marketisation and Forensic Science Provision in England and Wales

This unique work of evidence scholarship details the development of marketised forensic science provision in the UK. It explores the impact of public policy developments on the sector, including the re-structuring of governance and delivery of expert scientific evidence. The study analyzes the practices and perspectives of forensic experts and criminal justice personnel, focusing on the influence of standardization, expertise, and regulation on scientific method. It challenges subsisting accounts of laws deference to expert knowledge and uncovers the normative and conceptual underpinnings of law and science. The study offers a trenchant analysis of laws' mutable understandings of expertise and scientific method and lays the foundations for a more rational and systematic approach to the consumption of expert evidence.

Format: Hardback
Length: 216 pages
Publication date: 14 November 2022
Publisher: Emerald Publishing Limited

This groundbreaking work of evidence scholarship delves into the evolution of market-oriented forensic science provision in the United Kingdom. It explores the profound impact of public policy developments on the sector, shedding light on the restructuring of both governance and the delivery of expert scientific evidence. Through the use of first-hand accounts derived from empirical research, the study conducts an in-depth analysis of the practices and perspectives of forensic experts and criminal justice personnel, with a specific focus on the influence of standardization, expertise, and regulation on the scientific method. By expanding our understanding of how forensic scientists have responded to policy-driven structural changes, the author highlights the consequences of these adaptations. Challenging prevailing accounts that prioritize the deference of laws to expert knowledge, this work uncovers the normative and conceptual underpinnings of law and science, offering an innovative account of case construction. Employing comparative case-study methods, the study underscores the imperative of a genuine theoretical engagement between these two domains and provides robust support for this endeavor through a series of empirically informed discussions and detailed theoretical analyses. Revisiting landmark cases, relevant legislative provisions, and government reports, the study offers a penetrating analysis of the evolving understandings of expertise and scientific method within the legal framework.

Marketisation and Forensic Science Provision in England and Wales thus establishes the groundwork for a more rational and systematic approach to the utilization of expert evidence.

Weight: 396g
Dimension: 229 x 152 x 15 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781839091247