The Science and the law programme has been running since 2014. It brings together scientists and members of the judiciary to discuss and debate key areas of common interest and to ensure that the best scientific guidance is available to the courts. This webpage provides more detail about key activities, including an upcoming conference, Science in the Interests of Justice, which is being organised in partnership with the US National Academy of Sciences.
Primer: Forensic collision investigation
PDF, 1.8MB
PDF, 628.3KB
Primer: Understanding ballistics
PDF, 5.6MB
Primer: The use of statistics in legal proceedings
PDF, 741.3KB
Primer: Forensic gait analysis
PDF, 706.8KB
PDF, 967.3KB
Primer: Forensic Gait Analysis (Arabic)
PDF, 1.3MB
Primer: Forensic DNA Analysis (Arabic)
PDF, 1.6MB
The judicial primers project is a unique collaboration between members of the judiciary, the Royal Society and the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Designed to assist the judiciary when handling scientific evidence in the courtroom, the primers have been written by leading scientists, peer reviewed by scientists and legal practitioners, and approved by the Councils of the Royal Society and the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Each judicial primer presents an easily understood and accurate position on a scientific topic relevant to the courts. It outlines and clarifies the science underpinning the topic, highlighting its limitations and the challenges associated with its application in a judicial context. Each primer is created under the direction of a Steering Group, chaired by Dame Anne Rafferty DBE PC, and is distributed to courts in conjunction with the Judicial College, the Judicial Institute, and the Judicial Studies Board for Northern Ireland. Two of the primers have been translated into Arabic.
The full list of published primers can be downloaded on this page. If you have suggestions for further topics in the primer series, please contact law@royalsociety.org.
We have held a series of regional lectures in in partnership with the Judicial College as part of their professional development programme. These have included:
Since 2016 we have partnered with the Judicial College to run Continuing Professional Development training for Circuit Judges and Recorders as part of the Judicial College criminal and family training prospectus. To date we have delivered the following seminars:
There are typically two to three seminars per year. Designed for senior judges, each seminar focuses on a scientific topic that is encountered in the courts on a regular basis or is anticipated to underpin an increasing number of cases in the coming years. Seminars typically consist of two presentations, one from a senior member of the judiciary and another from an eminent scientist, followed by a chaired discussion. There have been 14 seminars to date, with the next two to be on disorders of consciousness and climate change later this year.
The seminar series is overseen by a steering committee comprising Professor Raymond Dolan FMedSci FRS, Dame Anne Rafferty DBE, Lord Hughes of Ombersley, Dr Julie Maxton CBE.