Instructor: Alicia McCarthy

Course length: 4 hours

The role of the forensic scientist in the criminal justice system is a varied one. We are asked to process crime scenes, teach evidence collection techniques to non-scientists, analyze evidence in the laboratory, and issue reports on our findings.

One of the most important roles of a forensic scientist is to effectively communicate scientific findings in layperson's terms to police officers, lawyers, judges, and juries. The most challenging form of communication is often the process of testifying as an expert witness in court. This communication process is not straight forward as information the expert witness needs to communicate to the court comes through questions asked by the prosecution and defense attorneys, and the communication is one-sided because the jury (usually) can’t ask questions of the expert.

The skills taught in the Expert Witness Testimony webinar are based on empirical research around jurors' understanding of expert witness testimony. The participants will gain a real world understanding of the current best practices for communicating forensic science conclusions and opinions to judges and juries.

Course Outline:

The Role of the Expert Witness – History of the expert witness and their importance in the courtroom work group
Preparing for Court – Court going curriculum vitae, organizing your case file, making charts and demonstrative aids
Courtroom Etiquette and Attire – How to dress for success, arriving at the court, waiting to testify, taking the witness stand and swearing in, body language, leaving the courtroom
Your Credibility in the Eyes of the Jury - Qualifying questions and your background, testimony style, direct examination, and cross examination
Perceptions of Evidence Reliability and its Importance in Decision-Making - Peripheral and central processing, heuristics, story model of decision making and deliberations
Evaluations – Self-reflection and transcripts, attorney and jury feedback, peer evaluations
Conclusions and Summary - How to put the research to work for you

Alicia McCarthy

Specialties

Crime Scenes Investigations, Forensic Photography, Latent Prints Examination, Footwear Examination

TFT Courses Taught

Expert Witness Testimony Expert Witness Testimony for Friction Ridge Examiners - Webinar

About Alicia McCarthy

Earning a B.Sc. in chemistry and statistics from the National University of Ireland and holds M.S. degrees in forensic science, criminal justice, and business administration from Strathclyde University and Husson University, respectively. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Dundee, with a focus on how juries interpret evidence.

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