Read PCAST’s forensic response to outpouring of resistance by prosecutors and labs

Posted on January 11, 2017 by csidds

Newly published, it is clear that PCAST on forensic ‘science’ is taking a serious stance to much of the mis-information presented by the host of it’s deniers in the US criminal justice system. That would be prosecutors, the US attorney general, the International Association for Identification, and some smaller groups of police forensic ‘science’ techs.

PCAST goes into detail regarding the extent of their studies which included their generous requests after the body’s report in November. Some substantial critics failed to show up for continuing any participation. I’m rather embarrassed by the entire bunch.

PCAST gives some mini-kudos (mostly to fingerprints and DNA) but it is clear that what they expect from forensics is generally beyond the ken of the bulk of the forensic industry. This becomes very apparent if you read the entire nine pages.

Of course, bitemarkers bit the dust once more on page 5. I would like to thank the 33 co-participants of the 2016 document on bitemarks’ fallacies that is mentioned. I had a bit to do with it. ASU Law Professor Michael Saks did all the heavy lifting on that one.

pcast_forensics_addendum_final (published 1-10-17)

Fight On

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NIJ sponsored forensic research at AAFS 2017 in NOLA

Posted on January 10, 2017 by csidds

Quite alot of this free (registration needed at RTI) February 14th meeting appears quite interesting. How’s this: “The Taphonomy of Human Hair” or “Forensic DNA Phenotyping of Quantitative Pigment in Human Physical Appearance Prediction”?

It appears that the latest research from the bitemark bunch (ABFO.org) didn’t make the cut. To be honest, I don’t expect any since the NIJ announced no plans to continue funding them a few years ago after this debacle.

RTI Agenda

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Narrative on forensics NAS/PCAST vs the world of law enforcement

Posted on January 10, 2017 by csidds

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This look hits most of the highs and lows of contentious statements from law enforcement after the President’s Council took on their established police forensic turf. It does mention wrongful convictions stemming from overrated forensic ‘science’ which seemed left out of the conversations about why NAS and PCAST did what they did.

A few choice blurbs:

Anti PCAST: (the feds)

“The report makes broad, unsupported assertions regarding science and forensic science practice,” the Bureau wrote. “The PCAST criteria define ‘black box’ studies as the benchmark to demonstrate foundational validity, but provide no clarification on how many studies are needed or why some studies that have been conducted do not meet their criteria.

Pro PCAST: (mainstream scientists from the American Association for the Advancement Science)

“We expect the reports emerging from the project to encourage basic research and contribute to improving the quality of forensic science used in the legal system,” Frankel said last year. “The project’s impact could be transformational for the criminal justice system, enabling the public to have confidence that the ability to convict the guilty and exonerate the innocent is advanced.”

Cautious: (American Academy of Forensic Sciences)

“The PCAST report is an important start to the discussion of scientific validity and we look forward to continuing that discussion with the larger community of forensic science practitioners,” reads the October AAFS statement.”

Full article

 

Posted in AAFS, Bitemarks, costs of wrongful convictions, Crime lab scandal, criminal justice reform, CSI | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Once again its kitty litter that’s putting citizens in jail

Posted on January 8, 2017 by csidds

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So-called field ‘testing’ of suspicious substances by police runs afoul of their false positives.

As Loretta Lynch said, “all is well in criminal justice” right? If appointed Jeff Beauregard Sessions will surely double up on that one.

Kitty litter.

Krispy Cremes donut glaze.

KMart grade police field testing.

Interesting testing series on sugar, chocolate, and of all things placebo testing resulting in positives for meth, pot, etc. 

 

 

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Taking pattern evidence two years after burial? Why not? It’s a bitemark

Posted on January 7, 2017 by csidds

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You will love what the ex DA in this decades-old case has to say about “outsiders” causing problems. The State Attorney says this: “Our job is to do justice an to see justice one. We’re not afraid of having evidence tested…..in the unlikely event that the evidence points at the potential of guilt of another individual, We’d address that at that time.”

Excerpt:

 “The motion also says that more than two dozen wrongful convictions have been based on bite mark testimony, some involving the same expert witnesses who testified at Prante’s trial. Drs. Homer Campbell and Lowell Levine, who both testified on behalf of the state that the bite marks [ after exhumation ] in the photograph matched Prante’s teeth, also testified in four other cases involving bite marks that were eventually overturned as wrongful convictions.”

Full article

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Another ridiculous bitemark case emerges into public view after 30+ years

Posted on January 6, 2017 by csidds

Image result for john kunco

The evidence:

Image result for john kunco

I’m assisting in two other cases attempting to eradicate junk science within criminal courts. This third case is an example of similar arguments during an adversarial hearing combining attempts to test new DNA evidence and publish research debunking entrenched bitemark believers who still get paid to showup to talk of their wares.

Below is the most recent Commonwealth v J Kunco hearing transcript from last month. This is 300 pages revealing the Innocence Project’s Chris Fabricant and Dana Delger, along with local counsel, bringing forth the fallacies of “reasonable degree of dental certainty.” Dr. Tom David is for Mr. Hopson, the prosecutor, and Dr. Cynthia Brozowski as the defense expert bringing out why bitemark evidence is unreliable. Reading what the police considered to be the victim’s identification of her attacker is incredible. A police officer imitated speaking with a lisp. The woman said that was what the attacker sounded like. John Kunco has a lisp speech impediment. A positive ID.

comm-vs-john-kunco-pdf

More on Kunco  here  and here.

 

Posted in Bite Marks, Bitemarks, costs of wrongful convictions, criminal justice, criminal justice reform, DNA profiling | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Obama Left Forensic Science Reform At the Altar

Posted on January 5, 2017 by csidds

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That’s according to Radley Balko at the Washington Post.

He sums up the missed opportunity for the outgoing US president to push his Attorney General Lynch and the FBI’s Comey to open a proper dialogue after the PCAST report from highly regarded scientists cast serious doubts on police forensics.

He says similar to some of my blogs on the ridiculous cop-led pushback after November’s lengthy report scorned much of the overblown pattern-matching tricks put forth in bitemarks, shoe prints, etc posing as some odd-version of science.

Full article “When Obama wouldn’t fight for science.”

Posted in Bad Forensic Science, Crime lab scandal, criminal justice reform, forensic misconuct, Forensic Science Bias, forensic science misconduct | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Touch DNA: “In the eye of the beholder” leads to conflicting interpretations

Posted on January 4, 2017 by csidds

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Pretty good over-view on “secondary transference” of epithelial cells being used in criminal cases that some deny happens and others use as a defense strategy. Clearly, it’s all in the “eye” of prosecutors and police.

Michelle Mankin’s blog.

Plus a very good, heavy with major forensic authors,  professional journal article on the subject of “trace biological evidence” asking “how did it get there.” A co-author is renowned Swiss statistician Christophe Champod.

“How did it get there?”

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Forensics is a mess and the Prosecutors love it: Reason Magazine

Posted on December 22, 2016 by csidds

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A telling expose ‘from Reason’s latest article on the sad (to some) state of resistance from the police forensic, LEO and prosecutor communities looking towards safeguards in police use and misuse of science in the US courts. This resonates with the growing list of police crime lab scandals and wrongful convictions in the United States

Bitemarks lead to way in the article, which in its’ larger sense, exposes entrenched denial of substantive evidence supporting systemic problems. Various problem levels exist, depending on each subject PCAST reviewed.  PCAST contains common scientific expectations courts’ should use in their “gatekeeping” power in order to recognize and  dismiss exaggerated or outright “voodoo” (according to 9th Circuit Judge Kozinski) forensic expertise.

Here is Reason’s response to USDOJ Loretta Lynch and by implication, to the incoming Jeff Sessions. The history of prosecutorial misconduct arguments within his old jurisdiction just came out today on CNN.

“One of those “sound” methods she’s defending is bitemark analysis. But the PCAST report found that “available scientific evidence strongly suggests that examiners not only cannot identify the source of bitemark with reasonable accuracy, they cannot even consistently agree on whether an injury is a human bitemark.”

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2016 Top Ten Forensic Science Posts

Posted on December 21, 2016 by csidds

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The year’s most read posts from Forensics in Focus. Happy New Year.

  1. What is a partial forensic DNA “match”?
  2. Obstinate DA pursues new trial in William Richards’ case.
  3. PCAST: Forensic science reform gets knee-jerk backlash from law enforcement.
  4. Top 9 examples of what junk forensic science is all about. 
  5. Washington DC crime lab continues to coverup its law enforcement bungles. 
  6. Texas leading massive review of criminal cases based on change in DNA calculations.
  7. Forensic science misconduct: A dark and cautionary tale. 
  8. UK Forensics: Diabolical mind control orchestrated by medical board needs a cure: Dr. Waney Squier.
  9. Taking a look at forensic fakery – The Country Dentist.
  10. Dredging the bottom of forensic science this meeting gives us more bitemarks.
Posted in criminal justice reform, CSI, Dr. Michael West, exoneration, Forensic science misconduct, forensic science reform | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment