Principles of Forensic DNA
for Officers of the Court
Principles of Forensic DNA for Officers of the Court
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Module 13 :: Trial Presentation

Topic 2 :: Making Information Comprehensible to Jurors

Expert Qualifications

The first step to ensure that jurors understand and accept DNA evidence is to qualify the expert in the applicable field. The party presenting the evidence should demonstrate that the expert has appropriate scientific credentials and is objective.

If the opposing party offers to stipulate to the qualifications of the expert, the presenting party should still have the expert briefly summarize his or her background for the jury as permitted by the court.

 

Click here to view a video of an expert providing her background.

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