Criminology Term: Daubert Test
The Daubert test is a legal principle, established by a landmark case in the US Supreme Court called Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (1993).
It provides a standard for judging the admissibility of scientific evidence in federal courts. This test has become widespread in the US and is used in both criminal and civil cases.
The Daubert test requires the judge to scrutinize the scientific or technical evidence and evaluate the reliability and relevance of the evidence. The judge evaluates the methodology and reasoning used by the expert in a particular field and determines whether the testimony is based on reliable scientific principles and methods.
Furthermore, the judge assesses whether the evidence is applicable to the case and will help the jury in understanding the evidence or determining the facts at issue.
Before the Daubert test, the Frye standard was used, which only required scientific evidence to be generally accepted in the relevant scientific community. The Daubert test is a more demanding criterion and mandates that scientific evidence be tested and evaluated using objective criteria.
The Daubert test has proven useful in examining forensic evidence, such as ballistics testing or DNA analysis. It has also been used to exclude evidence that was once commonly accepted, such as bite mark analysis.
The test is credited with increasing the trustworthiness of scientific evidence presented in court.
