Author Archives: csidds
Forensics Australia gets low marks from a senior judge
Unreliability of forensic experts gets serious attention from a high level jurist. Some of this started in California’s bitemark case of Bill Richards. @CA_Innocence. https://www.smh.com.au/national/top-judge-worried-forensic-evidence-putting-innocent-people-behind-bars-20190823-p52k3l.html
Forensics disaster in the UK. Looking at £s wasted and evidence lost
Take a close look at this one. Government “savings” turned into a mayhem of chaos since the 2012 closure of the FSS. Dont talk to police or politicians abt forensics. http://www.labnews.co.uk/article/2029976/forensics-in-crisis
Posted in AAFS, Bitemarks, Crime lab scandal, criminal justice, CSI, Forensic crime lab security issues, forensic misconuct, Forensic science misconduct, police crime labs, US Crime labs, wrongful convictions
Tagged Bad forensic science, crime labs, Criminal Justice, CSI, Forensic science
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Forensics incorrect between 23% to 96% of court cases
A UK study group describes their study as demanding a “holistic overhaul” of these practices taken into criminal courts. It contains a good review of US exoneration efforts to effect forensics. Too bad the police controlled forensic managers seem deaf … Continue reading
Forensics: Physics makes important inroads to outdated blood spatter expertise.
This is a well referenced look at BPA. The perspective is clearly science-based and unfettered by practitioner assumptions and biases. Rather refreshing, to put it mildly, and it also uncovers how BPA experts don’t agree with each other on basic … Continue reading
Forensic experts identifying war and disaster victims
There is not enough funding to do this properly. Volunteers are commonly not reimbursed. Politicians ignore the dead. https://phys.org/news/2019-08-humanitarian-forensic-scientists-dead-comfort.html
Looking at a Revolution? Getting Forensics Out of Law Enforcement
Many reform ideas in this series of Q&A to forensic and legal experts by the WaPo’s Radley Balko. All are logical and very practical. Prosecutors must be gagging. Here is a quote: Chris Fabricant, the Innocence Project Easiest reform: Eliminate … Continue reading
More judge-like delusions about error rates in forensics not being necessary.
This time it is in Australia. It does mentions that bitemarks are now outlawed Down Under? Now how did THAT happen? I havent heard a peep abt it. https://www.smh.com.au/national/csi-not-so-scientific-doubt-cast-on-veracity-of-forensic-evidence-20190816-p52hq9.html
Flawed forensics and weak-kneed judges. Boilerplate arson experts, of course, claim absolute accuracy. A judge buys it
The judge below is a good guy, the Honorable Harry T. Edwards. Just another chapter in how judges can’t get away from looking at changes and evolution in forensics (this time its fire science) in the most restrictive sense via … Continue reading
Texas loves its executions but………………………………………………
…………..the sometimes nefarious and commonly exaggerated forensic opinions prosecutors continue use to convict has little effect on the lofty judges who never took a science class after 12th grade. Their denials of legitimate claims of unfair criminal convictions is … Continue reading
A New Solution to Countering Bad Science in Forensics | Lab Manager
Aussie study follows up on the unacceptable “ad hoc” nature of 30 different crime lab methods. They also demand for forensic science to become more open. Even DNA has befuddled courts into accepting “proprietary secrets” regarding crime lab software. — … Continue reading
