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Category Archives: criminal justice reform
Forensics: The White House Office of Sci Tech investigates Bitemark Believers on Jan 15
The Obama Administration offers a potpourri of forensic practitioners at a public hearing scheduled for Jan 15th. Among them is one of the pro bitemark witnesses who pled for mercy before the Texas For Sci Commission a month ago. Here is … Continue reading
Dialogue about Science Peer Review in the Courts : Scientific American : Faigman
This is a “how to do it” from Law Professor David L. Faigman at Hastings of UCBerkeley. He shows an extensive review on where the US courts are on this subject and why they are not always reliable. He has some interesting … Continue reading
Major US Forensic Lab Scandals by State : The DOJ takes a stab at solution
Rumblings about mess-ups in US government-run forensic labs has finally reached the US DOJ. The reliability aspects of who does the “accreditation” is another matter. Thanks to NACDL and @celiagivens at the DNA Newsletter. DOJ to Mandate Lab Accreditation The … Continue reading
Forensics: White House Science and Technology opinion on Bitemark Identification
Here is the keynote speaker ( Jo Handlesman Ph.D) at a 2015 NIJ conference on forensic science speaking about the unenviable position bitemarkers have attained by showing no reliability in their opinions and being individually inconsistent in their courtroom testimony. … Continue reading
Why the NC Carolina CSI lab got slammed in the media. The Public is scared about wrongful convictions.
The above photo is from a recent exoneration case from North Carolina. The joy on Dwayne Dail’s face is palpable. You probably won’t often see this discussion on TV , but people are really upset about wrongful convictions occurring on a … Continue reading
Australia gets rid of unreliable forensic expert’s convictions – So should Mississippi and other states
A long time Australian pathologist who retired in 1995, having recently been given an “unreliable” designation by the Aussie courts, is the subject of extensive re-litigation of many of his past trials. Coincidentally, the Mississippi Supreme Court has ordered another … Continue reading
Forensic Science Reform Saves Lives
Changing forensic science practices and protocols to a basis of scientific proofs takes years. This one indelible fact reveals how slowly law enforcement, the courts, and “general acceptance” of established forensic groups adapt to legitimate change. Read about how John … Continue reading
The mashup of science and pseudo-science in forensics explained quite well
Illustration by Oliver Munday Im not one to delve deeply into the epistemology of science, but having been given this book review ( quote: “what makes science science?”) article to read from the New Yorker, I think this next quote … Continue reading
President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology Seeks Forensic Info
PCAST Forensic Science Questions PCAST consists of 20 of the nation’s leading scientists and engineers, appointed by the President to provide direct advice to him and the White House on important matters of science and technology. PCAST has recently begun … Continue reading
Privately held DNA software “TrueAllele” taking hits from Criminal Defense lawyers
Considering the furor over DNA mixture analysis now raging in the media/courts, arguments about keeping secret prosecutors’ laboratory methods appear to be doomed at some point in this process of advancing legal discovery for criminal defendants. Unless a court wants … Continue reading
Posted in criminal justice reform, CSI
Tagged Criminal Justice, forensic evidence, forensic testimony, legal discovery
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