Category Archives: AAFS

Forensics in Focus | March 3 | Forensic science Reform bill needs your support | Get involved

I am thrilled to share that the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee just scheduled a markup for Senator Rockefeller’s S. 2022, The Forensic Science and Standards Act of 2014, on Wednesday, March 5th.  A markup is a hearing of the full Senate … Continue reading →

Posted in AAFS, Forensic Science, National FOrensic Science Commission, wrongful convictions | Leave a comment

Forensics in Focus @csidds | Feb 24, 2014| Years Old DNA Testing vs Current DNA Testing | A case of first impression?

 MONDAY FEB 24, 2014 CRIME LABs: New DNA TECH vs “outdated”  DNA methods The history of DNA technology, its standards and population statistics use in criminal courts goes back to the time (and earlier) of this original trial. This should … Continue reading →

Posted in AAFS, ABFO, Bitemarks, criminal justice, Forensic Science, junk forensic science | 1 Comment

Forensic Focus | Bitemarks on Death Row

Fridays’ FORENSIC FOCUS LINKS @csidds | Feb 21| Bitemarks on death row, crime lab backlogs a threat to public safety, breaking stats on hate crimes, What’s trending today. The biggest problem with forensic science is that’s there is almost NO information … Continue reading →

Posted in AAFS, Bitemarks, criminal justice, expert testimony, Forensic Science | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

FORENSIC FOCUS | Links to Science, News Trends and the Law

FORENSIC FOCUS LINKS: Monday Feb 17, 2014 FORENSIC CASES, RESEARCH AND TRAINING with some criminal justice. 1. Register for Tuesday Feb 18 webcast presentations at the AAFS annual meeting. Topics are NIJ funding grantees forensic projects and DIY funding opportunities. … Continue reading →

Posted in AAFS, criminal justice, Forensic Science, National FOrensic Science Commission, Uncategorized, wrongful convictions | Leave a comment

Forensic Focus Picks – ADVANCED FORENSIC REFORM BILL INTRODUCED – Science, News Trends and the Law

The response to my last blog expanding  to multi-disciplinary forensic science topics has been encouraging. Trends are evolving rapidly in the external scrutiny of forensics by media and Congressional/governmental entities. There is still a paucity of forensic research to report … Continue reading →

Posted in AAFS, Forensic Science | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Bitemarks and Wrongful Executions: Law Prof Considers the Connection

A law professor has an impressive blog post that elaborates on the dangers of bad forensic science leading to executions of innocent defendants.  Read it here. He also has a few things to say about bitemark identification. A recent bitemark … Continue reading →

Posted in AAFS, ABFO, Bad Forensic Science, Bitemarks, Forensic Science, National FOrensic Science Commission, wrongful convictions | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

FORENSICS | Nature (prestigious science magazine) releases “Faulty Forensics Under Fire” about Bitemark Unreliabilty

The Nature piece starts with this picture and a following caption.  “There is little evidence that bite marks on a crime victim’s skin allow reliable identification of the perpetrator.” For those who think the National Commission on Forensic Science is … Continue reading →

Posted in AAFS, ABFO, Bitemarks, Forensic Science, National FOrensic Science Commission, wrongful convictions | Leave a comment

FORENSICS | Review of questionable research on bite marks. US taxpayers’ $715,000 funded it.

In a recent post, I promised to do a review of this promised-to-be-published “paradigm proof” from a Marquette University news release which revealed a “silver bullet” forensic cure to bite marks’ spotty history. The caption for the news release is … Continue reading →

Posted in AAFS, ABFO, Bad Forensic Science, Bitemarks, Forensic Science, junk forensic science, National FOrensic Science Commission, wrongful convictions | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

FORENSICS | National Commission on Forensic Science Publishes Bowers’ Comments on Bite Mark Accreditation

On Friday, January 31, 2014, the NCFS published their agenda for its one and one-half day meeting starting next week.  The Commission allowed public comments regarding the panel’s tasks and accepted  C. Michael Bowers DDS JD documentation regarding the status of … Continue reading →

Posted in AAFS, ABFO, Bite Marks, Bitemarks, exoneration, Forensic Science, junk forensic science, National FOrensic Science Commission, William Richards Exoneration Case, wrongful convictions | 2 Comments

FORENSICS | THE SILVER BULLET? : $715,000, three year long research project promises to support admissibility of BITE MARK IDENTIFICATION

Too bad the chief investigator has a history of being involved in the wrongful conviction of  Robert Lee Stinson in WI. He reports (with other contributors, all are Marquette University faculty; mostly dentists)  results that support the bite mark “match” he … Continue reading →

Posted in AAFS, Bite Marks, Bitemarks, National FOrensic Science Commission | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment