Author Archives: csidds

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About csidds

Dr. Michael Bowers is a long time forensic consultant in the US and international court systems.

Retribution in criminal justice reform

“In (the) battle over Nebraska’s death penalty, victims’ families refuse to be political pawns” by @lilianasegura at The Intercept.  This parallels California’s upcoming vote to abolish the death penalty. There probably will also be a pro-death penalty measure on the … Continue reading

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Shaken baby assumptions at the core of scheduled Texas execution

The case of a soon to be executed Texas inmate shows how in 2002 “shaken” baby injuries were taken as a given by both prosecutors and defense attorneys. Even after Robert Roberson’s conviction in 2002, his appellate counsel didn’t take … Continue reading

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Obstinate Prosecutor pursues new trial in Richards case despite forensics of innocence

Originally posted on FORENSICS and LAW in FOCUS @ CSIDDS | News and Trends:
Prosecutors have been well described in the media as “dogged’ and “relentless” by exerting punishment and retribution for crimes large and small against our citizenry. But there is a factual…

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Trouble with teeth and the better side of new forensic research – National Geographic

A general review of past police forensic methods that led to wrongful convictions and the newer development in forensics that could change criminalistic communities. Genetic phenotyping for facial reconstruction being the hottest topic in the media. Full article:  The Trouble With … Continue reading

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There is a problem with San Berdoo DA Mike Ramos’ Conviction Review Unit – William Richards

Post Conviction Integrity Units have been created within US prosecutors’ offices for a number of years. Google search shows 217,000 links to this  subject. Criticism of the composition of a DA’s newly funded PSIU in Nevada reveals concerns about CRINO (conviction … Continue reading

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Another obstinate and proudly relentless prosecutor from Louisiana

On to Louisiana and its about a death penalty conviction for child murder. “Dale Cox (pictured above) was the Louisiana prosecutor against Crawford (the defendant), a case which rested almost exclusively on the testimony of a state forensic pathologist who claimed … Continue reading

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Obstinate Prosecutor pursues new trial in Richards case despite forensics of innocence

Prosecutors have been well described in the media as “dogged’ and “relentless” by exerting punishment and retribution for crimes large and small against our citizenry. But there is a factual line drawn where cases of legitimate doubts are brought forward in post-conviction proceedings … Continue reading

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Unfounded calculation assumptions in LifeCode DNA testimony: 2016 SC ruling in Simmons

VACATED IN PART AND REMANDED A telling tale with highlights of the court’s opine on DNA testimony from the commercial DNA lab LifeCodes reveals what forensic malfeasance or misconduct or “puffing results” really means. Lets say that over selling “science” … Continue reading

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Forensics: Rehab program for academics caught cooking research data shows trends

This is certainly food for thought for those folks who consider academics and researchers above reproach. “Criminality” may be an overstatement in most cases, so maybe “misconduct” could be combined with “ineptitude.”  I’ve seen intellectual dishonesty quite popular with the … Continue reading

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Forensics: Bad grades in DNA lab proficiency tests leads to nastiness in court

Originally posted on FORENSICS and LAW in FOCUS @ CSIDDS | News and Trends:
This is an update from yesterday’s report on the SFO crime DNA lab getting hammered for insufficiencies. Full article. The next link is also related to this topic. SFO Distrist…

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