Magister Scientiae Dentium - MSc(Dent) / Bite mark evidence has been admitted into US courts since the 1870s. It quickly gained popularity after the conviction of W.E. Marx in 1974 for manslaughter using primarily bite mark evidence. However, since the development of DNA typing and testing in forensic science, the emergence of wrongful convictions has placed the validity of bite mark evidence admissibility into severe dispute. This mini-thesis is a condensation of the past ten years’ worth of literature on the latest researches regarding bite mark evidence. The theory of the uniqueness of the human dentition is analysed. The accurate reproducibility of bite mark on skin with regard to distortion is discussed. Some bite mark court cases, including wrongful convictions are explored. Inconsistent expert opinions and the lack of standards amongst practitioners are also examined. The aim of this study is to summarize the validity of bite mark evidence in the courts of law.

The standard view in epistemology is that propositional knowledge entails belief. Positive arguments are seldom given for this entailment thesis, however; instead, its truth is typically assumed. Against the entailment thesis, Myers-Schulz and Schwitzgebel (Noûs, forthcoming) report that a non-trivial percentage of people think that there can be propositional knowledge without belief. In this paper, we add further fuel to the fire, presenting the results of four new studies. Based on our results, we argue that the entailment thesis does not deserve the default status that it is typically granted. We conclude by considering the alternative account of knowledge that Myers-Schulz and Schwitzgebel propose to explain their results, arguing that it does not explain ours. In its place we offer a different explanation of both sets of findings-the conviction account, according to which belief, but not knowledge, requires mental assent.

The standard view in epistemology is that propositional knowledge entails belief. Positive arguments are seldom given for this entailment thesis, however; instead, its truth is typically assumed. Against the entailment thesis, Myers-Schulz and Schwitzgebel (Noûs, forthcoming) report that a non-trivial percentage of people think that there can be propositional knowledge without belief. In this paper, we add further fuel to the fire, presenting the results of four new studies. Based on our results, we argue that the entailment thesis does not deserve the default status that it is typically granted. We conclude by considering the alternative account of knowledge that Myers-Schulz and Schwitzgebel propose to explain their results, arguing that it does not explain ours. In its place we offer a different explanation of both sets of findings-the conviction account, according to which belief, but not knowledge, requires mental assent.

No description available.

In Canada, wrongful convictions arose as a social problem with the rise of the innocence movement throughout the 1990s (Zalman, 2020). Despite its rise as a social problem and the increasing attention it has received in the popular media, there has been a lack of research analyzing exactly how wrongful convictions are constructed. The purpose of this research is to analyze how the claimsmakers present at the Morin Inquiry constructed the wrongful conviction of Guy Paul Morin. The purpose of this analysis is to provide insight into the overall construction of wrongful convictions as a social problem through the examination of the claimsmaking taking place within a typifying example. To accomplish this, a qualitative content analysis of the Commission on the Proceedings Involving Guy Paul Morin, using a social constructionist lens, was conducted. Specifically, this thesis analyzed the contents of the Morin Inquiry using the theory of contextual constructionism as defined by Best (1987, 2013). The findings of this research reveal that: (1) the claimsmakers in the Morin Inquiry constructed Guy Paul Morin’s wrongful conviction as a preventable occurrence caused by a combination of individual wrongdoings and correctible systemic errors; (2) through the construction of blameless victims and blameworthy villains as well as the demonstration that wrongful convictions challenge the legitimacy of the criminal justice system, the claimsmakers were able to demonstrate that Morin’s wrongful conviction was worth addressing; and (3) through the adoption of inquiry recommendations, future wrongful convictions can be prevented, and the legitimacy of the criminal justice system can be restored. Finally, this thesis concludes by discussing implications, contributions and limitations of the findings before presenting ideas for future research.

The purpose of the study was to examine whether it was possible to discern any effect on the perception of the content of a copytext in terms of credibility and conviction, depending on whether the writer was ChatGPT or a human copywriter, and whether it was possible to discern any effect on the perception of the writer in terms of creativity and professionalism. To achieve the purpose of the study, the following questions were formulated: 1. How credible is an AI-generated text perceived compared to a text written by a human copywriter? 2. How convincing is an AI-generated text compared to a text written by a human copywriter? 3. How credible is ChatGPT compared to a human copywriter? 4. Is there a connection between the attitude towards AI and the perception of the content? The theoretical framework of the study consisted of theory and previous research regarding generative artificial intelligence (GAI), recommendations for writing a prompt, attitudes towards AI, the copywriting competence and recommendations for writing an effective copytext. The theoretical concepts of credibility and persuasion are two central concepts of the study that have been operationalised into competencies and recommended content as well as unique selling proposition (USP), call to action (CTA), rhetoric and storytelling. The results show that those who read the AI-generated copy text had a more positive perception of the content and the writer than those who read the human-written copy text. However, the results show that the creativity of the writer was perceived equally by both experimental groups. Overall, there were no statistically significant relationships between the perception of the content and the attitude towards AI. Based on the significance of the results and their mean values, the study's conclusions are that the text written by ChatGPT is perceived to be more credible in terms of competence and recommended content than the text written by the human copywriter and that the text written by ChatGPT is perceived to be more convincing in terms of USP, CTA, rhetoric and storytelling than the text written by the human copywriter. We can also conclude that ChatGPT is perceived to be more credible in terms of competence operationalised to professionalism, than the text written by the human copywriter, which, however, could be due to chance as the result was not statistically significant. The result of the study shows that ChatGPT threatens copywriting skills. However, it is not the AI tool itself that threaten the professional role, as it currently still requires human involvement. Instead, it is the competence in prompt engineering that threatens the profession, as this knowledge, according to the study, is crucial for achieving a credible and convincing AI-generated copytext. / Syftet med studien var att undersöka om det gick att urskilja någon effekt på upplevelsen av innehållet i en copytext i form av trovärdighet och övertygelse, beroende på om skribenten var ChatGPT eller en mänsklig copywriter, samt om det gick att urskilja någon effekt på upplevelsen av skribenten i form av kreativitet och professionalitet. För att uppnå studiens syfte formulerades följande frågeställningar: 1. Hur trovärdig upplevs en AI-genererad text jämfört med en text skriven av en mänsklig copywriter? 2. Hur övertygande upplevs en AI-genererad text jämfört med en text skriven av en mänsklig copywriter? 3. Hur trovärdig upplevs ChatGPT jämfört med en mänsklig copywriter? 4. Finns det ett samband mellan attityden till AI och upplevelsen av innehållet? Studiens teoretiska ramverk bestod av teori och tidigare forskning gällande generativ artificiell intelligens (GAI), rekommendationer för att skriva en prompt, attityder till AI, copywritingkompetensen och rekommendationer för att skriva en effektiv copytext. De teoretiska begreppen trovärdighet och övertygelse är två centrala begrepp för studien som har operationaliserats till kompetens och rekommenderat innehåll samt unique selling proposition (USP), call to action (CTA), retorik och historieberättande. Resultaten visar att de som fick läsa den AI-genererade copytexten hade en mer positiv upplevelse av innehållet och skribenten än de som fick läsa den mänskligt skrivna copytexten. Resultaten visar däremot att kreativiteten hos skribenten upplevdes lika hög av de båda experimentgrupperna. Det fanns överlag inga statistiskt signifikanta samband mellan upplevelsen av innehållet och attityden till AI. Utifrån resultatens signifikans och dess medelvärden landar studiens slutsatser i att texten skriven av ChatGPT upplevs vara mer trovärdig i form av kompetens och rekommenderat innehåll, än texten skriven av den mänskliga copywritern och att texten skriven av ChatGPT upplevs vara mer övertygande i form av USP, CTA, retorik samt historieberättande, än texten skriven av den mänskliga copywritern. Vi kan även konstatera att ChatGPT upplevs vara mer trovärdig i form av kompetens som operationaliserats till professionalitet, än texten skriven av den mänskliga copywritern, vilket däremot skulle kunna bero på slumpen då resultatet inte var statistiskt signifikant. Sammanfattningsvis kan vi utifrån studiens resultat dra slutsatsen att ChatGPT hotar copywritingkompetensen. Däremot är det inte AI-verktyget i sig som hotar yrkesrollen, då det i nuläget fortfarande kräver mänsklig involvering. Det är i stället kompetensen inom prompt engineering som hotar yrkesrollen, då denna kunskap enligt studien är avgörande för att åstadkomma en trovärdig och övertygande AI-genererad copytext.

Exoneration from crime has been studied among adults, but exoneration of juveniles (i.e., persons under age 18) has not been analyzed as a separate entity, despite distinct legal systems and developmental considerations. Wrongful conviction, while not always indicative of innocence, devastates lives of convicted individuals and their families, while increasing public mistrust and sometimes failing to convict truly guilty individuals. This devastation, as well as vulnerability to wrongful conviction, is significantly increased for youth who miss out on crucial developmental years, milestones, and opportunities. In the current study, I examined differing and intersecting contributors (i.e., individual characteristics, crime characteristics, legal system processes) associated with juvenile exoneration. My sample, retrieved in August of 2023 from the National Registry of Exonerations (NRE, 2023b), included 293 juvenile exonerees. Interesting findings regarding sentence length emerged, with significant associations with age and race. Older exonerees and Black and other racially minoritized exonerees typically received lengthier sentences. Future research analyzing sentencing decisions is warranted to promote equitable treatment of all navigating legal systems. Similarly, Black exonerees were more likely to experience mistaken witness identification, which is in line with previous research. Contrary to prediction on false confessions, 17-year-old exonerees were more likely to falsely confess than younger counterparts, raising questions about what factors make youth more susceptible to falsely confess in real-world settings. Additionally, interesting findings emerged for time before exoneration, with violent crimes tending to endure longer periods before exoneration than sexual and other non-violent crimes. Considerations related to exoneration and crime type are discussed. Geographic location was also analyzed, and US regions were significantly associated with time before exoneration, official misconduct, and false confessions. Interestingly, the Northeast and Midwest regions tended to be associated with more negative outcomes (i.e., longer time before exoneration, more official misconduct, more false confessions). Official misconduct was further analyzed, with significant relationships between crime type and witness tampering, crime type and interrogation misconduct, age and interrogation misconduct, crime type and prosecutorial misconduct, and age and prosecutorial misconduct. Discussion on these relationships with official misconduct are included, as well as implications for future research.

No description available.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the wrongfully convicted person’s possibilities for taking investigative measures in his or her own case, in order to apply for post-conviction relief according to 58:2 p.4 of the Swedish Code of Judicial Procedure (SCJP), with a particular focus on preservation of evidence and post-conviction DNA testing. Since the legal requirements for reconsidering the preliminary investigation according to 58:6a SCJP are set high, the convicted is, with very few exceptions, left alone to make his or her own attempt at reinvestigating the case, but without legal right to get access to all the evidential items in the case. This is a huge problem when the convicted would need to let such items get reanalyzed by forensic or scientific experts, in order to exculpate him- or herself, for instance by using the newest DNA technology, which was not available during the preliminary investigation. Hence, there is a great interest in preserving evidence, and in particular “traces” (spår), after the verdict has become legally binding. In this thesis, I argue that evidence, such as “traces”, should be preserved not only in the interest for clearing unsolved crimes in the future, but also for the possibility of a future petition of post-conviction relief - at least if the crime committed was a serious crime. According to my study, it is a common belief among the police, that preservation of evidence called “traces” is unregulated. I argue that The Archives Act, which regulates the general duty of state agencies to preserve official documents, is applicable also regarding these “traces”. Consequently, I propose that all of these types of evidence should be preserved by the agencies. Alternatively, the convicted should be notified by the appropriate agency that the evidence is going to be destroyed and grant him or her a right to request further preservation within a certain time. Moreover, I conclude that there should be a possibility for the convicted to require post-conviction DNA testing in Sweden as exemplified on the federal level in the US, as well as that the legal requirements for reconsidering the preliminary investigation in 58:6a SCJP should be more lenient. Another solution would be to make it possible for the court, according to 58:6b SCJP, to decide upon that the prosecutor should take investigative measures when it can be assumed that it would lead to the reconsideration of the preliminary investigation. If the proposed legislative changes are not taken, at least it should be possible for the prosecutor to take investigative measures, such as initiating the DNA testing, by using the opportunity to partwise reconsideration of the preliminary investigation. / Syftet med denna uppsats är att utreda den oskyldigt dömdes utredningsmöjligheter för att ansöka om resning enligt 58:2 p.4 Rättegångsbalken (RB), med särskilt fokus på bevarande av bevismaterial och begäran om DNA-testning efter lagakraftvunnen dom. Eftersom kravet på förundersökningens återupptagande enligt 58:6a RB ställs högt, är den dömde, med mycket få undantag, lämnad åt att själv vidta utredningsåtgärder, men utan laglig rätt att få tillgång till allt bevismaterial i fallet. Detta är ett stort problem då den dömde skulle behöva få till stånd nya forensiska eller kriminaltekniska analyser på materialet, i syfte att rentvå hen från skuld, genom att exempelvis använda den nyaste DNA-tekniken, som inte fanns tillgänglig vid den ursprungliga förundersökningen. Därför finns det ett starkt intresse av att bevismaterial, främst spår, bevaras efter domen har vunnit laga kraft.  I denna uppsats argumenterar jag för att bevismaterial, såsom spår, inte endast bör bevaras med hänsyn till intresset av att klara upp kalla fall, utan även beträffande möjligheten till framtida ansökan om resning - åtminstone om det brott som begicks var ett allvarligt sådant. Enligt min studie är det en vanlig uppfattning bland polisen att bevarandet av bevismaterial, såsom spår, är oreglerat. Jag argumenterar för att arkivlagen, som reglerar den allmänna skyldigheten för statliga myndigheter att bevara allmänna handlingar, även är tillämplig lag avseende spår. Följaktligen föreslår jag att myndigheter bör bevara alla dessa typer av material. Alternativt borde den dömde underrättas av lämplig myndighet att bevismaterialen ska hävas, och ge hen rätt att begära, inom viss tid, att bevismaterialen ska fortsätta att bevaras. Dessutom konstaterar jag att det bör införas en möjlighet för den dömde att begära ny DNA-testning efter lagakraftvunnen dom i Sverige, likt regleringen på federal nivå i USA, samt att kravet på förundersökningens återupptagande enligt 58:6a RB bör sänkas. En annan lösning skulle vara att göra det möjligt för domstolen i enlighet med 58:6b RB att förelägga åklagaren att vidta viss utredningsåtgärd när det kan antas leda till förundersökningens återupptagande. Om inte dessa förändringar sker bör åklagaren åtminstone ha möjlighet att vidta utredningsåtgärder, som att t.ex. initiera ny DNA-testning, genom att utnyttja möjligheten att delvis återuppta förundersökningen.

"Mémoire présenté à la Faculté des études supérieures en vue de l'obtention du grade de Maîtrise en droit (L.L.M.)" / Une personne est injustement condamnée à l'emprisonnement. Elle est victime d'une erreur judiciaire. Plusieurs causes peuvent être à l'origine d'une telle injustice mais malheureusement il est difficile de le prouver. Le système de justice pénale au pays n'est pas à l'abri des condamnations injustifiées et plusieurs innocentes victimes en ont payé le prix. Or, comment une victime d'erreur judiciaire peut-elle prouver son innocence et ainsi recouvrer la liberté à laquelle elle a droit? Certes, l'aveu du coupable ou la découverte d'une nouvelle preuve peuvent servir de moyens de reconnaissance factuelle d'une condamnation injustifiée. Toutefois, certains obstacles procéduraux comme les délais d'appel, les règles d'admissibilité de la preuve nouvelle ou encore le mécanisme de correction des erreurs judiciaires prévu aux articles 696.1 et suivants du Code criminel peuvent compliquer le scénario. Avant le 4 juin 2002, cette dernière procédure était visée par l'article 690 du Code. Toutefois, suite à de nombreuses critiques ainsi qu'à une consultation publique orchestrée par le gouvernement canadien, des modifications législatives ont été apportées à cette procédure. Mais celles-ci sont-elles suffisantes? Nous pensons que certaines des modifications sont grandement appréciables. Cependant, la structure d'évaluation des dossiers et de recommandation des dossiers au ministre de la Justice mériterait la mise en place d'un comité formé d'avocats indépendants pour conseiller ce dernier. Cela est nécessaire afin de réduire à néant tout conflit d'intérêts potentiel de la part du Ministre et d'assurer la transparence du processus en cause. / A person is unjustly condemned to imprisonment. He or she is victim of a wrongful conviction. Many causes can lead to such an injustice but unfortunately, it is hard to prove. The country's criminal justice system makes no exception to wrongful verdicts of guilt and many innocent people have paid the priee. Thus, how can a person victim of a wrongful conviction prove his innocence and recover his rightful freedom? Of course, the confession of the true guilty person, the discovery of new evidence or a special inquiry commission are all ways of recognizing factually an unjust guilty verdict. However, certain procedural obstacles such as appeal delays, rules of admissibility of new evidence or even the procedure for correcting wrongful convictions provided under article 696.1 and following of the Criminal code, can complicate the scenario. Before June 4, 2002, the latter procedure was provided under article 690 of the Code. However, following great criticism as well as a public consultation orchestrated by the Canadian government, legislative modifications were brought to that procedure. Are the modifications made to the procedure sufficient? We believe that some of them are greatly appreciable. However, the evaluation and case recommendation structure to the Minister deserves the creation of a committee constituted by attorneys fully independent of the Minister able to advise him or her. This is necessary in order to fully reduce any potential conflicts of interest by the Minister and would ensure transparence of the process in question.