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Monthly Archives: October 2019
#Forensics: learn something abiut voodoo/conjure and hoodoo – Happy Halloween
Love these OA articles! This study contains good information about cultural aspects of certain crime scenes. Perfect for your day Day of the Dead festivities. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589871X1930155X
Posted in Forensic Science, gravesite desecration
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#Forensics: Contextual bias influences and weak forensic testing results leads to jury overestimation of guilt
When police lab results are weak or ambiguous, juries commonly use non science circumstances to increase its value. https://phys.org/news/2019-10-csi-current-impact-bias-crime.html
Posted in AAFS, Crime, criminal justice, CSI, Forensic Science, Forensic Science Bias
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#Forensics: 16 minutes on DNA profiling, the good and the bad. From Dan Krane in Ohio
The opponents (i.e. prosecutors) to Dan’s methodology say that standards for minimum sample size and commercial profiling companies testing for inconsistencies and unreliabilities are not necessary. Of course they do. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpPkmDeS3Dg
#Forensics: Syrian Refugee Develops Dentistry Tech to ID Gender of War Victims
Finally, some legitimate research in the area of forensic dentistry. Kudos to Univ of Dundee and this young researcher. Syrian refugee Rawad Qaq has unveiled his Sex Calculator, which could help forensic scientists predict the sex of a skull. — … Continue reading
#Forensics #DNA U.S. Takes Step to Require Asylum-Seekers’ DNA
Similar to building walls in Colorado? The Trump administration ignores US untested rape specimens and will collect DNA samples from asylum-seekers and add the information to a massive FBI database. Trump and the GOP continue to protray undoc immigrants as … Continue reading
Posted in AAFS, criminal justice reform, DNA profiling, forensic science misconduct, human rights violations, junk forensic science, police crime labs, US Crime labs, US homicide statistics analysis
Tagged Bad forensic science, Forensic science, Miscarriage of justice, prosecutorial misconduct
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#Forensics: #DNA STR MIXture takes a hit in its expanding use by FBI and other police crime labs.
From DNA expert Dan Krane (thanks to Gil Sapir). STRMix was found to be inadmissible in an important federal case ( Gissantaner ) out of the Western District of Michigan last week. Its implications for STRMix (and the FBI’s increasing … Continue reading
Forensics: Forensic Dental ageing expert claims his claims of “science” shouldn’t be the only method. Why use it at all?
For years, these dentists have inappropriate claims of high percentages of accuracy to their adult versus juvenile ageing methods which they present in US immigration courts. This WaPo article summarizes how the federal controlled courts and prosecutors continue to use … Continue reading
Forensics: Decertified DNA mixture methods affected 1300 convictions in the US.
An in-house DNA mixture program that has been abandoned by the NYCME’s office gets a jaundiced review by an ex-DA judge. Unfortunately, the legal and political barriers to its effect on past convictions is left up to lawyers to consider. … Continue reading
Forensics: Public familial DNA companies secretly aiding the FBI
Good thread on law enforcement’s expanding use of public corporations who have access to public DNA databases. Customers now worried. But its a business opportunity for one new company. We should add some convers on false positive or otherwise misleading … Continue reading
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