A worksheet table for evaluating sources of information and bias, labeled "General Approach: LSU-E Workshop.

At the National Academies’ meeting on deaths in custody, Adele Quigly-McBride introduced a worksheet designed to help reduce cognitive bias in medicolegal death investigations.

Posted October 28, 2024


Three researchers from the Center for Statistics and Applications in Forensic Evidence (CSAFE) were invited to speak at a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine meeting on lessons learned from death in custody investigations. The meeting was held Sept. 19 in Washington, D.C.
It was the third meeting for an ad hoc committee that intends to conduct a consensus study on the handling of deaths in custody by the medicolegal death investigation system in the United States, as well as study related concerns with medical death investigations more generally.

Simon Cole, a professor of criminology, law and society at the University of California, Irvine, presented “Medicolegal Death Investigation and Convicting the Innocent.” Cole’s talk focused on his research with the National Registry of Exonerations.

Adele Quigley-McBride, an assistant professor of psychology at Simon Fraser University, presented “Human Factors in Cause and Manner Determinations.” She discussed her work on cognitive bias and ways to address bias in medicolegal death investigations. One method she demonstrated was the LSU-E worksheet, which provides a framework for managing information. More information about the LSU-E worksheet can be found on the CSAFE Learning platform.

Maria Cuellar, an assistant professor of criminology at the University of Pennsylvania, spoke about statistical questions that are relevant to shaken baby syndrome or abusive head trauma.

The meeting was recorded and is available on demand through the National Academies website.

From the Blog

Journal article titled "Challenges in Modeling...Images as Forensic Evidence" by Kafadar and Carriquiry.

Two Journals for Sharing Your Forensic Science and Statistics Research

If you’re looking for a journal to showcase your latest research findings, consider exploring these …

NIST sign outside, surrounded by flowers and trees, on a sunny day.

NIST Report Highlights Key Challenges in Forensic Science and Provides Strategies for Addressing Them

In September, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released a new report titled …

Recent Posts

ICFIS 2026 logo features a clock tower and the Forensic Inference and Statistics name.

Keynote Speakers Announced for ICFIS 2026

August 10, 2026

The Scientific Committee for the 12th International Conference on Forensic Inference and Statistics is pleased to announce the keynote speakers …

2026 Wisconsin NAFSB Conference logo on a dark blue background.

CSAFE Researchers will be Panel Speakers at NAFSB 2026 Conference

August 7, 2026

The annual National Association of Forensic Science Boards (NAFSB) Conference will be Oct. 13-16 at the Milwaukee Crime Lab Bureau …

ICFIS 2026 logo features a clock tower and the Forensic Inference and Statistics name.

ICFIS 2026 Moves Online, Abstract Deadline Extended to Aug. 17

July 27, 2026

The 12th International Conference on Forensic Inference and Statistics (ICFIS) will now be an online-only event, allowing participants from around the world …