{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,2]],"date-time":"2026-09-02T06:14:32Z","timestamp":1788329672877,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,2]],"date-time":"2026-07-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782950400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,2]],"date-time":"2026-07-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782950400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Journal of Forensic Sciences"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,9]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    DNA testing methods have become incredibly sensitive. Many court stakeholders have accordingly shifted their focus from questions about \u201cwho is the source of the DNA?\u201d to \u201chow did the DNA get to be where it was found?\u201d Given this shift, some in the forensic DNA community have urged courts in the United States to permit testimony interpreting DNA evidence given activity\u2010level propositions (ALP). These advocates assert that ALP reporting and testimony will \u201chelp\u201d courts answer the relevant questions in their cases. This assertion requires scrutiny. Examinations of wrongful convictions teach us that forensic experts can do irreparable harm when attempting to help courts answer difficult questions. The potential that ALP reporting and testimony will contribute to miscarriages of justice in U.S. courts must be considered. The commentary in this article critically assesses the claim that ALP reporting and testimony will help courts in the United States reach the correct outcome. We do so by analyzing an activity\u2010level \u201clookup table\u201d that was recently published by advocates of ALP reporting in a paper titled\n                    <jats:italic>Interpreting DNA under fingernails given activity level propositions<\/jats:italic>\n                    . Our analysis considers the potential that LRs reported in the lookup table will mislead end\u2010users. We also consider the vulnerability of U.S. courts to wrongful convictions based on overstated forensic science testimony. Our analysis ultimately reveals that application of the lookup table to casework in the United States may not help end\u2010users reach the correct outcome, and may, in fact, increase the risk of wrongful convictions.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1111\/1556-4029.70400","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,3]],"date-time":"2026-07-03T05:28:36Z","timestamp":1783056516000},"page":"1955-1961","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Help v. harm: How a \u201clookup table\u201d for evaluating\n                    <scp>DNA<\/scp>\n                    evidence given activity\u2010level propositions could lead to wrongful convictions"],"prefix":"10.1111","volume":"71","author":[{"given":"J.D.","family":"Schmid","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Minnesota Board of Public Defense (Duluth Office)  Duluth Minnesota USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Clinton","family":"Hughes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Brooklyn Defender Services  Brooklyn New York USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chase","family":"Baumgartner","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Innocence Project of Texas  Fort Worth Texas USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_6_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/1556\u20104029.70090"},{"key":"e_1_2_6_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/1556\u20104029.70099"},{"key":"e_1_2_6_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/1556\u20104029.70097"},{"key":"e_1_2_6_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/1556\u20104029.70112"},{"key":"e_1_2_6_6_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2139\/ssrn.5233773"},{"key":"e_1_2_6_7_1","unstructured":"Texas Forensic Science Commission.Final report on Complaint 23.67; Tiffany Roy; Timothy Kalafut PH.D.; evaluation of biological\/DNA results given activity level propositions.2024https:\/\/www.txcourts.gov\/media\/1458950\/final\u2010report\u2010complaint\u20102367\u2010roy\u2010tiffany\u2010073024_redacted.pdf"},{"key":"e_1_2_6_8_1","unstructured":"Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods.SWGDAM position statement on formal activity level reporting (ALR).2025https:\/\/www.swgdam.org\/_files\/ugd\/4344b0_e3d9237ef3964c30971aa37445235b45.pdf"},{"key":"e_1_2_6_9_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fsigen.2015.12.013"},{"key":"e_1_2_6_10_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fsigen.2013.03.013"},{"key":"e_1_2_6_11_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/1556\u20104029.15558"},{"key":"e_1_2_6_12_1","volume-title":"Black's law dictionary","author":"Garner BA","year":"2024"},{"key":"e_1_2_6_13_1","unstructured":"United States v. 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