Category Archives: forensic science reform
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
Forensics India: Bitemarks In The Dock: The Questions We Are Not Asking
The article restates what has been done in the US debunking bitemarkers and recommends adoption of same in India. Also, the author says many Indian courts and prosectors still demand bitemark pattern evidence continue to be used. This is similar … Continue reading
Posted in AAFS, ABFO, Bad Forensic Science, Bite Marks, costs of wrongful convictions, Crime lab scandal, criminal justice, CSI, forensic evidence exaggeration, forensic fraud, Forensic Science, Forensic Science Bias, forensic science misconduct, forensic science reform, junk forensic science
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Looking at a Revolution? Getting Forensics Out of Law Enforcement
Many reform ideas in this series of Q&A to forensic and legal experts by the WaPo’s Radley Balko. All are logical and very practical. Prosecutors must be gagging. Here is a quote: Chris Fabricant, the Innocence Project Easiest reform: Eliminate … Continue reading
Forensics: Dentists continue to assume bitemark patterns are accurate
As usual, dentists show little interest and generally ignore the fact that skin is easily distorted. This paper studies skin color. Meh. http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Scheila_Manica/publication/332415224_Exploring_bite_marks_on_different_types_of_skin_tones/links/5cb73f0692851c8d22f23ef3/Exploring-bite-marks-on-different-types-of-skin-tones.pdf
Forensics: Runaway use of touch DNA by Prosecutors ignores it’s limitations and cautions.
Framed By Your Own Cells: How DNA Evidence Imprisons The Innocent Marina Medvin Tiny amounts of touch-transferred DNA have placed people at locations they had never visited and implicated people for crimes they did not commit. | Getty Images … Continue reading
Forensics: regulating junk forensic expertise continues in Texas; other states lagging; from ‘Grits for Breakfast’
Top 10 junk forensic sciences challenged in Texas In the wake of the Forensic Science Commission declaring blood-spatter evidence in a 30-year old murder case “not accurate or scientifically supported,” Texas has lately again been getting deserved credit as a national leader on forensic … Continue reading
Science versus police forensics’ “reasonable medical certainty” mythology.
For those unaware, the cop forensics use of “individualization” for pattern-matchers ain’t science. These authors explain why in simple terms for all of us. https://judicialstudies.duke.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/JUDICATURE102.1-THOMPSON-etal-1.pdf
