Scientific Analysis of Trial Errors (SATE) is an open-source R package developed by Fair Trial Analysis to support rigorous, transparent evaluation of trial fairness using statistical methods. It is designed for use by researchers, legal analysts, and advocates who seek to understand how trial errors may have affected case outcomes — especially in high-stakes criminal proceedings.
About the R Project
R is a free, open-source programming language and software environment widely used in statistics, data science, and social science research. It provides powerful tools for data analysis, visualization, simulation, and reproducible research.
Our software tools are developed as open-source packages to promote transparency, accessibility, and replication. Anyone can inspect the code, verify how calculations are performed, and adapt the methods to new cases or datasets. Open-source tools help ensure that scientific claims about trial fairness can be tested and trusted — not hidden behind proprietary systems.
SATE Package Features
The SATE package provides a structured framework for evaluating how trial errors, omissions, or misconduct may have influenced the outcome of a trial. It includes tools for:
- Simulating juror decision-making under randomized experimental designs
- Estimating the impact of inadmissible evidence or missing mitigation
- Analyzing survey data and comment coding from post-trial studies
- Visualizing changes in verdict preferences and sentencing outcomes
- Supporting “reasonable probability of a different outcome” claims with empirical evidence
This package is used internally by Fair Trial Analysis and is available for public review to foster collaboration, transparency, and progress in the scientific study of legal fairness.