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>The medical examiner’s office says it switched from FST to a new program, STRmix, because of changing FBI standards and not because of any deficiencies with FS

>The medical examiner’s office says it switched from FST to a new program, STRmix, because of changing FBI standards and not because of any deficiencies with FST. Is there any effort towards independent examination of this new tool? I would intuitively assume that any process used to exonerate or incarcerate someone based on evidence would be available for inspection by the defense, and should certainly be available for public inspection by experts. It seems dangerously opaque to have criminal trials decided by the results of a blackbox system... or is this really so commonplace that my ideas of criminal justice are romanticized? Edit: STRmix has a document [0] that states that defense teams in an ongoing case can request access to source code as well as intermediary analysis results. They also list some papers that purport to go over the math, biology, and performance. However, the source code access terms are pretty restrictive. I think software this important to society should be made open-source by mandate. [0] https://strmix.esr.cri.nz/assets/Uploads/Defence-Access-to-STRmix-April-2016.pdf https://strmix.esr.cri.nz/assets/Uploads/Defence-Access-to-S...

mikeyouse 9y ago
> They also list some papers that purport to go over the math, biology, and performance. However, the source code access terms are pretty restrictive. Holy shit, you weren't kidding about restrictive terms. Actual terms in the agreement (Discloser = ESR who make the STRmix software, Recipient = Defense expert witness): 1. Discloser will only provide source code to an expert witness who is retained by the defense. 2. Recipient must sign confidentiality agreement. 3. Costs of the disclosure will be recoverable from the Recipient by the Discloser. 4. When source code is disclosed, a representative of the Discloser must be in the room at all times. 5. A stand-alone computer will be provided by the Discloser, and it will not accept USB drives or CD-ROMs. 6. No photographic devices are allowed in the room, including tablets and phones. 7. The only permitted notes are hand-written. Good luck finding any bugs using a company-provided computer, under the watch of a company representative without the ability to take anything except for handwritten notes while you are being billed for the time that you spend.

mikeyouse 9y ago

> They also list some papers that purport to go over the math, biology, and performance. However, the source code access terms are pretty restrictive. Holy shit, you weren't kidding about restrictive terms. Actual terms in the agreement (Discloser = ESR who make the STRmix software, Recipient = Defense expert witness): 1. Discloser will only provide source code to an expert witness who is retained by the defense. 2. Recipient must sign confidentiality agreement. 3. Costs of the disclosure will be recoverable from the Recipient by the Discloser. 4. When source code is disclosed, a representative of the Discloser must be in the room at all times. 5. A stand-alone computer will be provided by the Discloser, and it will not accept USB drives or CD-ROMs. 6. No photographic devices are allowed in the room, including tablets and phones. 7. The only permitted notes are hand-written. Good luck finding any bugs using a company-provided computer, under the watch of a company representative without the ability to take anything except for handwritten notes while you are being billed for the time that you spend.