Category Archives: forensic science reform
Forensics: On the eve of the #AAFS2021 meeting, the last 4 years of stagnation of forensic reform is reviewed.
Very comprehensive look at the obstinance of hard-core deniers of scientific progress in police crime labs. Written by Liliana Segura and Jordan Smith. theintercept.com/2019/05/05/forensic-evidence-aafs-junk-science/
Forensics: Disparate legal standards. One for the rich, one for the poor. Georgia Offers Unequal Expert Evidence Standards
Guess who gets the benefit, and who gets the shaft. It is glaring proof that the two tier legal structure of rich vs poor really exists. The second proof is the inequitable funding of prosecutors, providing DAs with distinct advantages … Continue reading
Forensics: Will the Return of Science Reinvigorate Forensics Reform? Yeah Jordan Smith!
Guess who is on the junk science list? The ABFO/AAFS bitemarkers. Eric Lander, Biden’s pick for top science adviser, co-authored a damning report on the faulty forensic practices behind hundreds of wrongful convictions. — Read on theintercept.com/2021/01/22/biden-forensic-science-eric-lander/
Forensics: Forensic science inaccuracy: Firearm and fingerprint comparisons are less reliable than they seem.
A story told from a juror’s perspective. How police experts doctor their error rates in “proficiency” tests. Ballistics and fingerprints linked to misleading testimony as revealed by Itiel Dror at UCL. Bitemarkers did similar. Don’t believe forensic examiners’ claims about … Continue reading
Forensics: Baseline look at junk science through the deviance and failures of bitemark believers
Marvin Zalman’s interview on his LR article describing the “cognitive biases, deviance, and dissonance” of science deniers. It shocking they are still affiliated by the American Academy of Forensic Sciences — Podcast on excitedutterance.com/listen ___ Albany Law Review
Forensics: The Confrontation Clause: Can the Sixth Amendment Protect Defendants from Junk Science?
A defendant appeals claiming his right to cross-examine a prosecution’s DNA expert was denied at trial. Amazing how simple this sounds in theory. DAs, however, often get around defendants’ Constitutional protections. Then the judge won’t pay for a defense expert … Continue reading
Forensics: Junk arson opinions. How Jason Lively was cleared of the West Virginia fire that killed Doc Whitley
Experts say wrongful fire convictions are disturbingly common, because investigators often lack up-to-date education and advanced training. — Read on http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/jason-lively-fire-innocent-west-virginia/2020/10/21/44772dba-f2b4-11ea-bc45-e5d48ab44b9f_story.html
Forensics: ‘CSI effect’ remains a myth, retired judge says on 20th anniversary of popular forensic science show
Good read from the ABA Journal Apparently, prosecutors use it as an excuse when they lose a criminal case. — Read on http://www.abajournal.com/columns/article/csi-effect-remains-a-myth-says-retired-judge-on-20th-anniversary-of-popular-forensic-science-show
Forensics: Expert: CDC’s Redfield should expose Trump COVID failures, leave post
Its time to bail. Public health titan wrote a private letter to CDC Director Redfield asking him to expose interference into COVID response and leave his post. — Read on amp.usatoday.com/amp/5899724002
Forensics: More than half of all wrongful criminal convictions are caused by government misconduct, study finds – The Washington Post
Plus forensic evidence provided by junk or exaggerating “experts.” Their mistakes are largely ignored by their fancy titled colleagues. Undoing their harmful effects takes decades or may be impossible. Many factors contribute to wrongful convictions of people, including withholding evidence … Continue reading