Estimation and Evidence in Forensic Anthropology

Abstract

Identifications in forensic anthropology occur in two rather different contexts. One context is that of “estimation,” when a biological profile from unidentified remains is built in the hope of eventually identifying said remains. Another context is in evidentiary proceedings, where biological information from the remains is used to contribute to a probability statement about the likelihood of a correct identification. Both of these contexts can occur when stature is the biological parameter of interest, and so the authors take data related to stature as the example in this chapter. The unifying method in both contexts is the application of Bayes’ theorem. Therefore, this chapter opens with a review of some of the characteristics of a Bayesian analysis.

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