Statistical Evidence in the US Courts: An Appraisal

Stephen E. Fienberg and Miron L. Straf

Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, 1991, vol. 154, issue 1, 49-59

Abstract: Over the past 30 years, a dramatic change has taken place with respect to the role of statistical evidence in American legal proceedings. From a situation in the early 1960s when statistical evidence was rarely allowed into evidence the US courts have moved to a position in which the use of statistical arguments and data is common and statistical experts often appear on opposing sides, presenting conflicting testimony. During the mid‐1980s a panel appointed by the National Research Council reviewed the then recent use of statistics as evidence and, in a recently published report, the panel described the current status of statistical evidence, making recommendations that focus on three major areas: the maintenance of professional autonomy of statistical experts, the enhancement courtroom presentation of statistical evidence and implications for legal and statistical education.

Date: 1991
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
https://doi.org/10.2307/2982694

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bla:jorssa:v:154:y:1991:i:1:p:49-59

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://ordering.onli ... 1111/(ISSN)1467-985X

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A is currently edited by A. Chevalier and L. Sharples

More articles in Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A from Royal Statistical Society Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Wiley Content Delivery ().