• Ethics – a branch of philosophy that is concerned with right and wrong actions and their outcomes.

• Morals –  a person’s ideals about right versus wrong and what is considered appropriate behavior.

25.1: Basic Guiding Principles

To be successful in their career, forensic scientists must follow the guiding principles for their profession and meet the ethical obligations of the field. These include but are not limited to being:

• Technically competent and employ reliable (accurate and precise) and validated methods of analysis.

• Honest about their qualifications and staying within their area(s) of expertise.

• Intellectually honest about their data, conclusions, and opinions.

• Objective when reviewing evidence and testifying as an expert.

Ethical behavior helps to ensure consistency and reliability of behavior within the forensic science profession.

Common Mistakes in Thinking About Ethics

• Starting with an “Ethics 101” approach.

  • Not every ethics issues needs to begin with Aristotle.

• Ethics is the responsibility of management.

  • Ethical behavior is every employee’s responsibility.

• Not everything is “an ethical issue.”

  • Paralysis over fear of committing an ethical mistake can be just as damaging (remember “sins of omission?”).

  • This is where awareness of potential issues can be as important as avoiding them.

• Expecting managers to be experts on ethics just because they are “in charge.”

  • Ethics are learned, not inherent to a person or position.

• Treating ethics like an event.

  • Ethics is a process, a way of working, not a rigid process or an annual training event.

• Thinking there is always a right answer.

  • Multiple rights—or wrong—answers may exist for the same issue, or there may be no knowable answer at all.

• Those who commit unethical behavior are bad people.

  • Do not judge a person by their worst day; ethical misconduct may be as simple as one bad decision.

• Scientists are inherently ethical.

  • Anyone in any profession can make a mistake or succumb to pressures or biases.

• People in the same profession share the same views.

  • People are individuals and may look at things through a different ethical lens because of their backgrounds and experiences.

Forensic-Specific Ethical Issues

• Most forensic scientists see themselves as scientists first and they concentrate most heavily on scientific ethical questions and may not appreciate the complexity and seriousness of the ones that arise from justice system interactions.

• A good way to do this is to recognize that differences do exist, learn about the rules and customs of the other professions, and then educate others regarding what professional expectations forensic scientists must meet and how they relate to the other profession’s behaviors.

• Awareness of where the pitfalls and problems may be is key to avoiding them.

• Examining and exploring common pressures between professions enables individuals to realize common “red flags” for potential ethical misconduct.

• Looking at the outcome of case studies or examples, and especially events and circumstances leading up to those events is an invaluable teaching tool for students and professionals.

25.2: Bias

• Bias – a preference for or against a person, thing, group, idea, or behavior.

• Being biased means being “one-sided” and being less willing to consider alternatives.

• Cognitive Bias – poor or bad judgment based on perceptual distortion, illogical interpretations, or irrationality.

• Contextual Bias –  a person is influenced by clues surrounding the topic but not the content itself.

• Confirmation Bias – the tendency to search for and use only information that supports a belief or hypothesis; any information that conflicts with the belief or hypothesis is discounted or ignored.

• Attribution Bias– the assumption is that because the scientists work for the police, they hold the same views.
  

Science-Related Ethical Issues

• Professional Credentials

• Laboratory Analytical Procedures

• Reporting and Interpretations