Latest News on Forensic Science and Criminal Law
-
Join 223 other subscribers
Category Archives: forensic science reform protecting the innocent
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
UK outsourced forensic testing appears to be a flop – 6000 cases suspect
Police say scores of convictions may be overturned because of the suspected manipulation of forensic tests at a private laboratory in Manchester. James Vaughan, the national police lead for forensic outsourcing, said two employees of the testing services company … Continue reading
Illinois Prosecutors Admit Junk Science Convicted Innocent Man in 1996
This time it is arson ‘science.’ This is significant as it goes against some DAs and the US Attorney General who declare forensics is just fine. Here is the joint motion to release Adam Gray from prison. The State Attorney Office … Continue reading
When defendants have to do their own evidence collection: in the police lab.
All of this is going on within an ASCLD certified police crime lab. In Louisiana,of course. The Innocence Project and the Baton Rouge District Attorney battle over how far the Innocence Project can go to locate evidence that may exonerate a … Continue reading
It is not enough to show that the officer made a mistake, acted negligently, acted by accident or mistake, or even exercised bad judgment.
The rarified federal rules that protect police involved in shooting citizens. Negligence or possible use-of-force alternatives to killing are not controlling. Lying helps some. Prosecutorial misconduct runs rampant. The FBI report on the Alton shooting case. Read this Washington Post … Continue reading
UK Forensic Regulator talks about “car crash” in Forensic Science
Dr Tully is the Forensic Regulator in the UK. She has somewhat of an oversight role but seems to have little enforcement power. Her unit has published extensively on reporting and ethical considerations in the world of UK police forensics. … Continue reading
FBI: DNA lab problems, scandals now presents new training on DNA STR stats
“Forensic DNA Analysis, and in particular interpreting complex DNA mixtures and calculating statistics, can be challenging.” That is the understated headline of the FBI’s newest training titled “ACSLD Webinair: DNA Standards and Guidelines” that was presented last week. Here are … Continue reading
A Few Forensics Related Links – Pelves and Murder Weapons and the “FBI Way”
Murder weapons from the famed museum of the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh – some famous forensic cases and practitioners – Sydney Smith etc. Although he used hair microscopic hair comparison to convict. Oops. Pelvic structures influenced by child … Continue reading
Thanks to Drs Janice Klimm and Rick Cardoza – Taking Care of Bill Richards’ Smile After 23 yrs in prison
Bill Richards was arrested for the murder of his wife Pamela in 1993 and eventually convicted in 1997 after three trials in California’s San Bernardino County. A linchpin for his last trial was testimony by two forensic dentists who talked … Continue reading
NY Times takes ‘sullen like children’ DAs to task over avoidance of crime lab scandal
21,587 Reasons to Fix Forensic Science The pushback to overbearing police ‘science’ advocates comes in many forms. This article from the Editorial Board of the New York Times names some names. Plus more recent from the NYT about science being … Continue reading
FORENSICS and LAW in FOCUS @ CSIDDS | News and Trends 