Commentary on: Hahn M, Anslinger K, Eckert M, Fimmers R, Grethe S, Hohoff C, et al. [Joint recommendations of the project group "Biostatistical DNA Calculations" and the Trace Commission on the Biostatistical Evaluation of Forensic DNA Analytical Findings with Fully Continuous Models (FCM)]. Rechtsmedizin (Berl). 2023; 33(1):3–12. doi: 10.1007/s00194‐022‐00599‐5

The article discusses the joint recommendations of the project group "Biostatistical DNA Calculations" and the Stain Commission on the Biostatistical Evaluation of Forensic DNA Analytical Findings with Fully Continuous Models (FCM). While the adoption of FCMs in Germany is praised, the authors point out some issues with the recommendations. They discuss the different zones defined by the authors for reporting likelihood ratios (LRs) obtained from FCMs and highlight the need for evaluating the performance and calibration of LR systems. The article emphasizes the importance of analyzing a large set of LRs and comparing their performance rather than directly comparing individual LRs from different systems. The authors argue that the current recommendations do not effectively ensure safe and comparable application of forensic DNA analysis. They highlight the need for proper testing of LR systems to evaluate their performance and increase trust in their output. The authors also emphasize the importance of informing the court about the probabilistic nature of forensic findings without giving an illusion of achieved certainty. They suggest that implementing the current recommendations may result in many impactful forensic results never reaching the courts. [Extracted from the article]