How stats fool juries - Peter Donnelly
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Oxford mathematician Peter Donnelly reveals the common mistakes humans make in interpreting statistics, along with the devastating impact these errors can have on the outcome of criminal trials. Peter Donnelly is an expert in probability theory who applies statistical methods to genetic data, spurring advances in disease treatment and insight on our evolution. He's also an expert on DNA analysis and an advocate for sensible statistical analysis in the courtroom.
Reflecting on the Sally Clark case, Donnelly comments, “So if a pediatrician had come out and said to a jury, ‘I know how to build bridges. I’ve built one down the road. Please drive your car home over it,’ they would have said, ‘Well, pediatricians don’t know how to build bridges. That’s what engineers do.’” What point is Donnelly trying to make?
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