Skip to content Accessibility statement
Working with the University
HomeWorking with the UniversityCPDSector-specific coursesEvaluating Evidence

Evaluating Evidence

Date: Wednesday 18th March 2026

Time: 14:00 - 16:00 (GMT)

Online (University of York)

Course Leader: FoSS Team - Forensic Speech Science at the University of York

This two hour online workshop will explore frameworks for evaluating the strength of forensic comparison evidence, with a focus on forensic speaker comparison. Specifically, we will provide an overview of the likelihood ratio framework and discuss how this approach effectively separates the role of forensic analyst and trier-of-fact in the context of criminal justice. We will also discuss data-driven approaches to computing likelihood ratios, using case-specific data and examples from both phonetic analysis and automatic speaker recognition systems. In addition, this workshop will outline challenges associated with the effective and appropriate evaluation of the strength of forensic speaker comparison evidence and highlight potential approaches to addressing these challenges.

The course will provide participants with:

  • Increased understanding of the likelihood ratio framework
  • Awareness of propositions relevant to forensic comparison, and the effect these propositions have on the resulting strength of evidence
  • Knowledge of how to compute a likelihood ratio with relevant data

Course booking

Please wait, loading courses...
Course Overview

The workshop will take place online at the University of York. The course will provide an introduction to the evaluation of forensic speech and audio evidence. The workshop will involve lecture style content and opportunities for discussion.

Tutors

Vincent Hughes

Vincent's research interests lie in forensic speech science, phonetics, phonology, sociophonetics and sociolinguistics. His current research focuses on understanding the bases and limitations of individual speaker characterisation and the relative contribution of acoustic, auditory and biological information. He is also interested in the application of the numerical likelihood ratio framework to the evaluation of speech evidence in forensic voice comparison cases.

Costs

Costs

Standard rates:

Standard Rate
£85

VAT is not payable. Registration fees are fully inclusive of:  

  • Tuition
  • Course materials 

Registration is done online by Credit/Debit Card for instant payment and a guaranteed secured place on the course (please note the University of York does not accept American Express cards).