Introduction

Just A Juror’s Perception

Just A Juror’s Perception

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Original Release Date: February 19, 2018

In episode three of our 2018 IPTES Season, Just Science interviews Dr. Alicia Wilcox from Husson University and Heidi Eldridge from RTI International. Our guests discuss how visual aid and other tactics have been proven to help jurors interpret subject matter expert testimony. Listen and find out what Jurors say is effective in communicating forensic evidence in court.

NIJ and FTCOE are committed to improving the practice of forensic science and strengthening its impact through support of research and development, rigorous technology evaluation and adoption, effective knowledge transfer and education, and comprehensive dissemination of best practices and guidelines to agencies dedicated to combating crime. The future of forensic sciences and its contribution to the public and criminal justice community is a motivating topic to gather expertise in a forum to discuss, learn, and share ideas. The IPTES was specifically designed to bring together practitioners and researchers to enhance information-sharing and promote collaboration among the impression, pattern, and trace evidence analysts, law enforcement, and legal communities.

2018 Impression, Pattern and Trace Evidence Symposium

This episode of Just Science is funded by the National Institute of Justice’s Forensic Technology Center of Excellence [Award 2016-MU-BX-K110].

Listen to or download the episode here:

Guest Biography

Dr. Alicia Wilcox earned her Bachelor’s degree with double honors in Chemistry and Statistics from the National University of Ireland. She holds MS degrees in Forensic Science, Criminal Justice, and Business Administration from Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland and Husson University, Bangor, Maine, respectively. She earned her PhD from the University of Dundee, Scotland, with a particular focus on how juries interpret forensic science evidence. Dr. Wilcox has practiced forensic science for the past 17 years. She was responsible for researching and implementing procedures for analyzing anabolic steroids and the date rape drug γ-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform in Dublin, Ireland. She was employed by the Maine State Police Crime Laboratory for almost a decade as a forensic scientist specializing in impression evidence. She has processed numerous crime scenes and has qualified as an expert witness in Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Mississippi. Since 2012, Dr. Wilcox has worked as a forensic consultant on current and post-conviction cases. She is currently an assistant professor of legal studies at Husson University in Maine. She holds four certifications from the International Association for Identification (IAI): Certified Senior Crime Scene Examiner, Certified Latent Print Examiner, Certified Footwear Examiner, and Certified Forensic Photographer. In addition to Dr. Wilcox’s responsibilities at Husson, she is a past president and current board member of the New England Division of the IAI, is a member of the IAI footwear certification board, and sits on the footwear/tire subcommittee of the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC).


The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this podcast episode are those of the presenter(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of Justice.

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