Category Archives: AAFS
Forensic experts identifying war and disaster victims
There is not enough funding to do this properly. Volunteers are commonly not reimbursed. Politicians ignore the dead. https://phys.org/news/2019-08-humanitarian-forensic-scientists-dead-comfort.html
Looking at a Revolution? Getting Forensics Out of Law Enforcement
Many reform ideas in this series of Q&A to forensic and legal experts by the WaPo’s Radley Balko. All are logical and very practical. Prosecutors must be gagging. Here is a quote: Chris Fabricant, the Innocence Project Easiest reform: Eliminate … Continue reading
More judge-like delusions about error rates in forensics not being necessary.
This time it is in Australia. It does mentions that bitemarks are now outlawed Down Under? Now how did THAT happen? I havent heard a peep abt it. https://www.smh.com.au/national/csi-not-so-scientific-doubt-cast-on-veracity-of-forensic-evidence-20190816-p52hq9.html
Texas loves its executions but………………………………………………
…………..the sometimes nefarious and commonly exaggerated forensic opinions prosecutors continue use to convict has little effect on the lofty judges who never took a science class after 12th grade. Their denials of legitimate claims of unfair criminal convictions is … Continue reading
A New Solution to Countering Bad Science in Forensics | Lab Manager
Aussie study follows up on the unacceptable “ad hoc” nature of 30 different crime lab methods. They also demand for forensic science to become more open. Even DNA has befuddled courts into accepting “proprietary secrets” regarding crime lab software. — … Continue reading
Blood spatter analysis (i.e. BPA) theories contradict physics and scientific research. Study reveals serious lack of university-level involvement in this police-adopted method.
Is anyone suprised? The spatterists still are throwing pig blood against walls and clothing. This study debunks their “velocity” of impact/force blood spatter paradigms. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/forensics-bloodstain-pattern-analysis/ Kudos to The Innocence Project’s Sarah Chu for her comments in this NOVA article. Read … Continue reading
Forensic bias dangers from police interactions
Notables discuss the interface between police and anyone examining crime scene evidence. Especially those folks working police crime labs. Recent cases of experts being influenced by police theories certainly highlights this as creating cognitive bias. It is very hard to … Continue reading
Junk science vs DNA leads to law suit for compensation
All this began with a “match” of one hair made during the heyday of this now discredited FBI crime fighting method. http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/indiana/20190801/man-sues-claiming-wrongful-conviction
See how far DAs go to hide #Flawed #Forensics
38K bogus crime lab tests got the prosecutors to reveal their duplicity in covering it up. WTF. Not beyond what happens w bitemark cases. https://www.washingtonpost.com/crime-law/2019/07/30/prosecutors-who-covered-up-mass-drug-lab-scandal-now-face-bar-discipline-civil-rights-suit/
Junk forensic claims run amok once again.
Law enforcement always goes bonkers for junk forensics. This time it is a twitchy next gen version of a “deception detector.” https://theintercept.com/2019/07/26/europe-border-control-ai-lie-detector/
Posted in AAFS, CSI, expert testimony, junk forensic science
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