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Category Archives: AAFS
Forensics: DNA retest eliminates convicted man. DA says he’s guilty anyway.
This case is certainty bizarre for its facts. A now convicted man is arguing for a new trial. Post conviction DNA re-testing on a gun is the center point. But the guy who got shot was killed by a police officer named Kaufman. … Continue reading
Fingerprint device captures prints as person walks past
Commerical press release lacks much depth but suggests interesting privacy implications with this just FBI approved optical printing system. “Each ANDI OTG system instantly captures four fingerprints from an individual as they walk past the device.” Im not sure what the … Continue reading
The odd “reform” coexistence of law enforcement, criminal justice and private forensic orgs
Taking some joy out of Xmas, the Wash Post columnist Radley Balko draws out the pattern of current forensic events focusing on methods review into a broader question. How difficult is it to change multi-governmental institutional culture? He describes how the … Continue reading
Posted in AAFS, ABFO, Bitemarks
Tagged Criminal Justice, CSI, Forensic science, junk science, National Commission on Forensic Science, Radley Balko
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Major US Forensic Lab Scandals by State : The DOJ takes a stab at solution
Rumblings about mess-ups in US government-run forensic labs has finally reached the US DOJ. The reliability aspects of who does the “accreditation” is another matter. Thanks to NACDL and @celiagivens at the DNA Newsletter. DOJ to Mandate Lab Accreditation The … Continue reading
Forensics: How Police actions can lead to a Homicide years after the incident
Remember that when a medical examiner renders homicide as the manner of a death, there are three subcategories ranging from 1) murder 2) manslaughter and 3) justifiable. This article talks about a police-action-related injury (brain injury) evolving years later to … Continue reading
Forensics: Correcting the effects of junk science is problematic in the US
The separation of the US judiciary individual state court systems creates a systemic obstacle to curing past damage created by flawed CSI expert testimony. Montana is the example used in this article to put this in a sharper focus. http://mtstandard.com/crime-and-courts/some-states-review-flawed-hair-analysis-convictions-but-so-far/article_078e5c5d-2d97-503f-b9fa-af337aa08585.html
Forensics: Decomp rate of microbial system in dead bodies considered marker for TOD
Dead bodies are the topic today. Researchers from UC of San Diego are talking about Time of Death determinations using bacteria. Considering the encironmental and physical factors that influence decomposition rathers, this research still has a longgg way to go. … Continue reading
Posted in AAFS, ABFO
Tagged American Academy of Forensic Science, crime labs, Forensic science
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Forensics: White House Science and Technology opinion on Bitemark Identification
Here is the keynote speaker ( Jo Handlesman Ph.D) at a 2015 NIJ conference on forensic science speaking about the unenviable position bitemarkers have attained by showing no reliability in their opinions and being individually inconsistent in their courtroom testimony. … Continue reading
Forensics: Can DNA predict a face? Courtroom application years away. Police buy it anyway.
Descriptive but not an over enthusiastic prediction of a novel attempt to revolutionize the future of “fighting crime.” The writer properly spells out the commercially developed DNA method as “skimpy” on validity. “In truth, the science for conjuring a person’s … Continue reading
Posted in AAFS, Crime, CSI, DNA profiling
Tagged American Academy of Forensic Science, Criminal Justice, CSI, Forensic science
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Why the NC Carolina CSI lab got slammed in the media. The Public is scared about wrongful convictions.
The above photo is from a recent exoneration case from North Carolina. The joy on Dwayne Dail’s face is palpable. You probably won’t often see this discussion on TV , but people are really upset about wrongful convictions occurring on a … Continue reading
