Consistent with

Revision as of 18:04, 8 August 2024 by Amwelladmin (talk | contribs)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Crime & Punishment
Index: Click to expand:
Tell me more
Sign up for our newsletter — or just get in touch: for ½ a weekly 🍺 you get to consult JC. Ask about it here.

Consistent with
/kənˈsɪstᵊnt wɪð/ (n.)
A phrase which sounds more damning that it has any right to be. “Consistency” is an attestation of correlation that is often taken by people who should know better, to be one of causation.

Expert evidence that, for example, “blotched, mottled skin is consistent with air embolus”[1] is of little “probative value” unless blotched, mottled skin is not consistent with any other condition that might be prevalent or, for that matter, any non-medical explanation.

If the evidence is alsoconsistent with” a range of other common, frequently observed alternatives as well as the extremely rare and damning one that propels the prosecution case, then that base rate is important: the prior probability that this is a case of air embolus remains low.

See also

References

  1. One of the critical planks of the Crown’s case against Lucy Letby.