Category Archives: criminal justice reform
Federal Public Defenders want autopsy report of ARK execution – State objects
Nothing describes the onerous lack of prosecutorial transparency regarding the death penalty better than this article on the State of Arkansas legal maneuvering to hide what happened at the April 27th execution of Kenneth Williams. “Witnesses to the execution reported … Continue reading
Major US science orgs oppose Sessions cancelling of forensic science commission
The AAAS, ACS and two other groups associated with main-stream science put in their two cents about desiring “independent and transparent” review and monitoring of police forensic research and methods. This will largely prove futile. It is obvious that the … Continue reading
AAFS president DesPortes sounds off abt junk science in forensic labs
She is making clear for Science Friday that self validation of methods by police crime labs leads justice into the swamp. Science Friday May 20, 2017
Crime experts go after Trump’s distain for rule of science and law in all things criminal
Criminology Leaders Assail Trump for Uniformed Policy Initiatives This multi-level rebuke covers: ( from the Crime Lab Report ) “In its statement [ASC] the board focused on the areas of immigration, crime trends, the federal government’s role in police reform, and “draconian … Continue reading
Taking a look USAG Session’s anti-science forensics culture showing up on the internet
Much that is said in this Science 2.0 post are old derisions and hackneyed objections to 1) the advent of DNA establishing that wrong convictions do exist (since 1992) and 2) the rise of the at-large public’s knowledge of 1) … Continue reading
The odds of Innocents getting convicted just increased with Sessions – The Atlantic
“The attorney general is standing athwart a long overdue movement to reform forensics yelling stop.” “Sessions was the first Congressperson to endorse The Donald.” “Lest you think it is unfair to tar Sessions with Trump’s execrable behavior, here is what … Continue reading
The culture of forensic lab fraud and incompetence continues to damage lives
Massachusetts set to dismiss up to 24,000 cases. (Drug testing) Florida has 2600 affected cases. (Fingerprints) Texas DNA lab may have up to 5,000 affected cases. Ohio crime lab tech may have 30 years of suspicious and prosecution biased casework. … Continue reading
Fifty years of teaching Scientific Forensics in US Law Schools – More is needed
Forensics and criminal law are subjects that are increasingly being included in mainstream legal training in the US. There are prestigious law schools that have risen to the challenges that, to some of us, seems obvious. Major changes have occurred … Continue reading
Turnaround times for rape kit testing are abysmal – Crime labs Forensics overloaded with drugs
Here’s a look at police crime labs around the US abilities to produce timely rape kit testing. One might infer that DNA testing of other crimes and the ‘war on drugs’ has sapped funding capabilities. I don’t hear the US … Continue reading
