It’s true that mathematical equations have concrete conclusions while comparing latent prints is more subjective. I should have (or could have) used a different example but my example wasn’t about the accuracy of results it was about scientific procedures. My point was that documentation isn’t mandated by science but it’s still a good quality assurance measure (I don’t deny this – I just think it’s important to understand what kind of quality assurance measure it is).
I’m speculating that the weight of a conclusion isn’t in the method alone but also in the thoroughness of the person applying it and the thoroughness of the people reviewing it. Documentation does show if a person was thorough. Just thinking about this off the cuff, it seems that this issue is similar to the bias issue in that it becomes an issue with harder ID’s but isn’t an issue with comparisons that are obvious. You’re probably wondering how an attorney knows if it’s an easy or hard ID. In the past I’ve recommended to attorney’s (prosecutors and defense attorneys) that if they can’t see the consistencies that the examiner is pointing out then an internal alarm should go off and you should hire your own expert. I can’t speak about the Cowans or the Jackson case but I think it applies to most of the erroneous ID’s where the images are available. With most of the ID’s I make, even the attorney’s can clearly see what I’m pointing out. These are educated people and usually know the different between someone explaining an ID to them and someone trying to convince them of an ID. I’ve even explained Rob Reneaur’s zero point ID to defense attorney’s and after a few minutes they are pointing out additional characteristics to me. That’s a clear sign that you’re explaining how the conclusion was arrived at and not simply convincing them of it.
I don’t know about other agencies but I can tell you that all the things you ask for are standard in a report in my office. I think that a lot of agencies are in the process of making changes for the better and you’ll find this more common with recent cases.