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.

An Open Letter on Shaken Baby Syndrome and Courts: A False and Flawed Premise

Originally posted on Wrongful Convictions Blog:
A group of 34 esteemed doctors, medical professionals, and international experts has jointly published a letter regarding the problem of how SBS is currently being prosecuted in the courts. See the Argument & Critique…

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Forensics: Costs of forensic expert witnesses in a murder trial with the defendant facing the death penalty.

Costs of forensic expert witnesses in a murder trial with the defendant facing the death penalty. Pathologist = $300/hr. Psychiatrist = $500/hr. “Mitigation specialist” = $100/hr. All have caps on maximum amount allowed. Ballistics: OC Crime Lab Goes 3D – … Continue reading

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Wednesday’s Quick Forensic and Crim Law Clicks…

Originally posted on Wrongful Convictions Blog:
Maine one of only two states without a felony exoneration in modern times.  Former deputy AG claims it is because “Maine is different.”  It appears Maine is different in at least one respect—it has…

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Forensic experts take on the NAS concerns about fingerprint examiners’ disagreement.

Fingerprint Examiners Found to Have Very Low Error Rates {By a group of 109 government fingerprint experts Investigations into the reliability of fingerprint matches continues. This news release from a NIJ funded project states a strong position for its reliability … Continue reading

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Perjury Prosecution for Lying Prosecutors?

Originally posted on Wrongful Convictions Blog:
I am not an attorney, but in my layman’s, non-legal opinion this is potentially (and I say only potentially) huge. The US Ninth Circuit has advocated criminal perjury prosecution for a prosecutor who lied to the…

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The personal dangers of protecting the innocent and underprivileged around the world : Similar issues exist in the US.

Originally posted on FORENSICS and LAW in FOCUS @ CSIDDS | News and Trends:
Civil rights and humanitarian legal advocacy is “The most dangerous job in law.” Prison, exile and worse exists around the world for legal advocates.  These stories make the…

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The personal dangers of protecting the innocent and underprivileged around the world : Similar issues exist in the US.

Civil rights and humanitarian legal advocacy is “The most dangerous job in law.” Prison, exile and worse exists around the world for legal advocates.  These stories make the pushback in the US against forensic and judicial reform seem paltry in … Continue reading

Posted in AAFS, costs of wrongful convictions, criminal justice, exoneration, forensic science reform, National FOrensic Science Commission, prosecutorial misconduct, Ray Krone bitemark case, William Richards Exoneration Case | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Full text of judge’s resignation letter to US forsci commission

Read this. This plays to the politics behind the National Forensic Science Commission. The right to a fair trial and a fully informed defense takes another hit. The Commission is strongly composed of government employed forensic experts from the American … Continue reading

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News Break : National Commission on Forensic Science member quits due to DOJ

Another addition to the growing list of questionable agenda and actions involving this Commission. Previous blogs at csidds.com talked  about how the bitemark sub-committee, its chairman and its dentist members, are all adherents to the “shaky” forensic science of bitemark … Continue reading

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UK: Worries about forensic science capabilities elicits a response from police

UK: Law enforcement tries to calm the public about below average forensic science capabilities. In response to this news article about the threat to investigatory capabilities of police crime labs, this response just came out from South Wales police agency. … Continue reading

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