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.

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

Posted in Forensic Science Bias, forensic science reform | Tagged | Leave a comment

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

Posted in Forensic Science Bias, forensic science misconduct, forensic science reform, prosecutorial misconduct | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

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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“Friendship Nine’s” Convictions Vacated

Originally posted on Wrongful Convictions Blog:
Pioneers of the civil rights lunch counter sit-in’s in South Carolina, known as the Friendship Nine, have had their convictions vacated and their names cleared. See the CNN story here.

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Stories about Exonerations do work : 2014 the highest ever at 125 : Trial Judge worrying about possible wrongful conviction, shuts down DA

Exonerations of U.S. criminals hit record in 2014: study (Reuters) – The number of U.S. criminals exonerated in 2014 climbed to a record high of 125, in part because of efforts by prosecutors willing to admit their offices made mistakes, … Continue reading

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Advances in Forensic Fire Science leads to man’s release after 36 years in prison

The article at the end quotes the defense attorney saying “the criminal justice system works.” Thats one side of the coin, and it may be a bit of a stretch, but is not the entire story. It has taken forensic … Continue reading

Posted in Bitemarks, exoneration, forensic science misconduct, junk forensic science | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Forensic Science: UK murder energizes public to give DNA samples

This case is reminiscent of first use of DNA profiling tech by Sir Alec Jeffreys in the mid 1980s. Via Nora Rudin. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-sussex-30972723

Posted in DNA profiling, Forensic Science | Leave a comment

Liars in the US Criminal Justice System

Originally posted on FORENSICS and LAW in FOCUS @ CSIDDS | News and Trends:
Nothing is ever over in exoneration litigation, be it from exonerees’ difficulties in re-entering society, or when some DAs and police, with help from their lawyers, continue to…

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Blockbuster Appellate Opine: Lying Prosecutors Not Immune

The 9th US Circuit Court in San Francisco just rearmed the judiciary with an opinion to prosecute DAs who tell lies to juries. This is usually done via “incentivised” snitches or witnesses. This look into one specific case that energized … Continue reading

Posted in criminal justice, Perjury by Prosecutors | Tagged , | Leave a comment