Foundations for the Discipline of Bloodstain Pattern Analysis: A Response to the Report by the National Academy of Sciences

• NCJ Number: 231271
• Journal: Journal of Forensic Identification Volume: 60 Issue: 4 Dated: July/August 2010 Pages: 477-494
• Author(s): Ross M. Gardner; Tom Griffin
• Date Published: July 2010
• Length: 18 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This paper examines the theory of bloodstain pattern analysis, its underlying principles, and the extent that it has been subjected to scrutiny, experimentation, and scientific validity.

Abstract

Scientific publications dealing with the field of bloodstain pattern analysis (BPA) have existed for more than a century. As such, the discipline is one of the oldest existing forensic investigative aids. The objective of this paper is two-fold: (1) through succinct statements to present a structured foundation of the principles applied in the discipline of bloodstain pattern analysis and (2) to address statements in the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) 2009 report on the state of forensic science in the United States, specifically addressing the validation efforts directed at these principles over the last 115 years. References and appendixes (Published Abstract)