Category Archives: expert testimony
Forensics: Botched digital measurements led to 11 years in prison. New trial ordered.
DAs expert used a fancy software program to analyze a robbery vid. He botched it. The perp is short. This man is 6’3″. A jailhouse snitch lied during his trial. The DA was mute during all of it. https://www.dallasnews.com/news/courts/2019/09/12/texas-man-subject-of-netflix-doc-ordered-released-after-11-years-behind-bars/
Forensics Australia gets low marks from a senior judge
Unreliability of forensic experts gets serious attention from a high level jurist. Some of this started in California’s bitemark case of Bill Richards. @CA_Innocence. https://www.smh.com.au/national/top-judge-worried-forensic-evidence-putting-innocent-people-behind-bars-20190823-p52k3l.html
Forensics incorrect between 23% to 96% of court cases
A UK study group describes their study as demanding a “holistic overhaul” of these practices taken into criminal courts. It contains a good review of US exoneration efforts to effect forensics. Too bad the police controlled forensic managers seem deaf … Continue reading
Forensics: Physics makes important inroads to outdated blood spatter expertise.
This is a well referenced look at BPA. The perspective is clearly science-based and unfettered by practitioner assumptions and biases. Rather refreshing, to put it mildly, and it also uncovers how BPA experts don’t agree with each other on basic … Continue reading
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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FoxNews: Unreliable bitemarks still on the books in all 50 states.
https://fox6now.com/2019/07/17/its-essentially-junk-bite-mark-case-underscores-national-call-to-improve-forensic-evidence/ Excellent 8min video expose’ on the recent Stinson $7.5M award for wrongful conviction in Milwaukee. As usual, the city taxpayers take the financial hit. Kudos to all those who helped this case along. Heather Donnell and her staff are … Continue reading
Forensics: The battle of open access for scientific research papers. UCLA get slapped by mega publisher Elsevier.
The publisher spans the world for science, medicine and some things forensics. It has one open access (i.e. free) journal about forensics. Good for them. This story covers the larger issue of corporate profiteering (over charging) for information that is … Continue reading
‘We are going backward’: How the justice system ignores science in the pursuit of convictions
‘We are going backward’: How the justice system ignores science in the pursuit of convictions — Read on http://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna961256 Good look at the shutdown of scientific progress in police forensics by the powers in control of the labs and criminal … Continue reading
Immigration agents X-raying migrants to determine age isn’t just illegal, it’s a misuse of science
Immigration agents X-raying migrants to determine age isn’t just illegal, it’s a misuse of science — Read on medicalxpress.com/news/2018-06-immigration-agents-x-raying-migrants-age.html Up to this point, US Office of Homeland Security (ICE) doesn’t really care about this one bit.
Forensics Canada: Bitemarkers run amok; Courts and DAs prefer case precedence over science.
This is a 50 page UBC Law Review narrative on the inadequacies of courts to recognize junk “forensic” experts. Battling Canadian bitemarkers leave a trail of exaggerated claims and criminal case law that is blind to scientific principles. SSRN-id3201061 … Continue reading
