Category Archives: criminal justice reform
Forensics: When do District Attorneys refuse to test DNA? When the test could be paid by the incarcerated.
This story is from Florida. It could be from any state in the US. DAs always roll towards preserving their convictions. This makes platitudinous statements about “justice” from Attorney Generals and their deputies hollow, pathological mythomania. http://www.tampabay.com/projects/2018/narratives/blood-and-truth/the-lingering-case-of-tommy-zeigler/?platform=hootsuite
Forensics: Harvard murder from 50 years ago. New DNA shows just how wrong initial investigators’ theories can be
This is is commonly what happens once DNA testing is done AFTER a conviction. One of the problems is the cost of post conviction testing that has to be borne by the Innocence Project and other innocence litigators. Donate … Continue reading
Forensics: Another grassroots attempt to establish a Forensic Science Commission in Wisconsin. This paper written by PhD candidates.
http://www.sciencepolicyjournal.org/uploads/5/4/3/4/5434385/bratburd.pdf The LEO crime labs won’t like this intrusion on their domains. A 2005-2008 study suggesting similar went nowhere in the WI legislature.
Forensics: Excuses for using inaccurate dental ageing methods fill this interview with University of Texas adjunct professor Dr. David Senn
The UT system made $16,000 so far this year from ICE cases involving children claiming to be children. The method is quite popular with the man hired to do it. He also considers ” bitemark matching” to be useful for … Continue reading
Forensics: UK police love this “conclusive” bitemark opinion – DNA never gets mentioned
Five teeth out of 32 seems enough for everyone in this murder conviction in the UK. The dentist looks satisfied on the video. (the 3rd video in the article). Problems about expert error rates, etc., always go out the window … Continue reading
The Senseless Legal Precedent That Enables Wrongful Convictions | The New Republic
The top of the legal pyramid in the US claim Constitutional rights and associated case law do not “extend” to pre-trial negotiations. This affects 95% of criminal cases that occur in the country. This regressive thinking puts other cases influencing … Continue reading
Forensics: Grits for Breakfast: Most crime labs accused innocent person in DNA mixture study
Grits for Breakfast: Most crime labs accused innocent person in DNA mixture study — Read on gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2018/09/most-crime-labs-accused-innocent-person.html The dark side of the NIST DNA mis-identification report covered in my last blog. Subterfuge and disclaimers to quash use in court by … Continue reading
Forensics: Another expert with 40 hours of training recants his own testimony
.https://www.propublica.org/article/blood-spatter-expert-robert-thorman-joe-bryan-case/amp?__twitter_impression=true Blood-Spatter Expert in Joe Bryan Case Says “My Conclusions Were Wrong” The expert whose testimony was key to Bryan’s conviction for his wife’s 1985 murder says he now believes that some of his techniques were incorrect. His admission comes … Continue reading
In Las Vegas, Embattled Forensic Experts Respond to Scandals and Flawed Convictions
Has forensics moved forward in 2 years since thus was posted by The Intercept? Retrenchment of government resistance still doesn’t recognize forensic weaknesses and forensic flim flam. Courts are very inconsistent in their “gatekeeping.” Post conviction litigation about junk forensics … Continue reading
Scientific Terminology Explained | Forensic Science in North Carolina
If you’d like to learn more about scientific terminology, Duke Law student Logan Johnson interviewed toxicologist Dr. Jay Gehlhausen about terminology that attorneys might encounter when reviewing scientific evidence. Have you ever wondered what the difference is between reproducibility and … Continue reading
