Category Archives: Civil rights

Forensics: Looking for the truth. When families question a death investigation, getting a second autopsy can be complicated

After investigators ruled 31-year-old high school counselor and coach Kelsey Harris’ death a suicide in 2021, her mother, Kellee, said she was not convinced the inquiry had answered the most important questions.About a week before Kelsey died, police had arrested … Continue reading

Posted in AAFS, Bad Forensic Science, Civil rights, costs of wrongful convictions, Crime, criminal justice, Faked death, forensic pathology, Forensic Science, forensic science misconduct | Leave a comment

Forensics: A Primer On False Bitemark Evidence Cloaked as the Truth. When junk science decides guilt in the South. Case Studies.

Below is an opinion column by Jeremy Hutchinson, Mark Bowling and Mark Kate Mull: States should adopt the federal standard for expert testimony and make reliability a threshold requirement, not a question left for jurors to sort out after unreliable science … Continue reading

Posted in AAFS, ABFO, Bad Forensic Science, Bite Marks, Bitemarks, Civil rights, costs of wrongful convictions, Crime lab scandal, death penalty, forensic fraud, forensic science misconduct, junk forensic science | Leave a comment

Forensics: Another bitemark case! 1989 Eugene murder conviction relied on junk science. Now the man wrongfully convicted has been released after 37 years.

A 1989 Eugene murder conviction relied on junk science. Now the man wrongfully convicted has been released – OPB — Read on http://www.opb.org/article/2026/07/18/a-1989-eugene-murder-conviction-relied-on-junk-science-now-the-man-wrongfully-convicted-has-been-released/

Posted in AAFS, ABFO, Bite Marks, Bitemarks, Civil rights, costs of wrongful convictions, junk forensic science | Leave a comment

Forensics: In Utah, a new DNA profile could upend a 40-year-old death row case

Prosecutors want to confirm whether or not DNA found on evidence is not a match to Douglas Carter, but a defense attorney said findings so far “exonerated” him. “The only consideration which [ought] to remain is how make right the … Continue reading

Posted in Civil rights, costs of wrongful convictions, criminal justice, DNA profiling, US Crime labs, wrongful convictions | Leave a comment

Forensics: Court order ignored. US Attorney for Northern District of Illinois Andrew Boutros appears in court over handling of case involving Venezuelan gang

U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Andrew Boutros appeared in federal court over the handling of a case involving a Venezuelan gang. — Read on abc7chicago.com/post/us-attorney-andrew-boutros-court-thursday-handling-case/19474282/

Posted in Civil rights, Perjury by Prosecutors, prosecutorial misconduct | Leave a comment

Forensics: Cops lie in court. Pay $9M to Man Who Spent 17 Years in Prison After Being Wrongfully Convicted, City Lawyers Recommend | Chicago News

Wrongful convictions have long been the most expensive kind of police misconduct in Chicago, costing taxpayers $131.5 million in the first six months of 2026, according to an analysis of city data by WTTW News. — Read on news.wttw.com/2026/07/09/pay-9m-man-who-spent-17-years-prison-after-being-wrongfully-convicted-city-lawyers

Posted in Civil rights, costs of wrongful convictions, Crime, forensic science misconduct, informant perjury | Leave a comment

Forensics: Judge Says Crime Lab ‘Recklessly’ Violated Court Order In Murder Trial Of Accused Romeo Nance Accomplice

A Will County Judge on Wednesday ruled Will County prosecutors had ignored her order for an expert to be present for DNA testing. — Read on patch.com/illinois/joliet/judge-says-crime-lab-recklessly-violated-court-order-murder-trial-accused-romeo

Posted in AAFS, Civil rights, Crime, Crime lab scandal, criminal justice, prosecutorial misconduct | Leave a comment

Forensics: Cook County Has Been Called the Wrongful Conviction Capital of the US. New Book Explores Why

Illinois makes up about 15% of wrongful conviction cases nationwide, according to Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve, the author behind “Crime Fictions: How Racist Lies Built a System of Mass Wrongful Conviction.” — Read on news.wttw.com/2026/06/23/cook-county-has-been-called-wrongful-conviction-capital-us-new-book-explores-why

Posted in Civil rights, costs of wrongful convictions, criminal justice, Forensic Science, human rights violations, wrongful convictions | Leave a comment

Forensics: Another bitemark exoneration. Conviction of man in 1989 Eugene murder is tossed out under new ‘junk science’ law

A new state law lists bite-mark analysis as a discredited forensic science, and Oregon Department of Justice attorneys agreed that under the law the conviction of Robert Lyons should be vacated. The Lane County District Attorney must decide whether to … Continue reading

Posted in AAFS, Bitemarks, Civil rights, costs of wrongful convictions, criminal justice, expert testimony, Forensic Science, junk forensic science, wrongful convictions | Leave a comment

Forensics: Law. A world on trial: How lawyers documenting Israeli abuse pay a price | Israel-Palestine conflict

Behind the mounting evidence of crimes against Palestinians are the lawyers braving harassment and violence. — Read on http://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/6/19/a-world-on-trial-how-lawyers-documenting-israeli-abuse-pay-a-price

Posted in Civil rights, costs of wrongful convictions, Crime, criminal justice, human rights violations | Leave a comment