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Tag Archives: Bad forensic science
Is Forensic Science Capable of Correcting Its Woes?
The seminal theme of the US forensic community professes that it can solve its own problems. I doubt it. The public sees in the media these negative forensic themes: undo police/DA/politico attitude influences, the imbalance of drug testing predominating over … Continue reading
Taking bitemark evidence to the White House: Video speaker provides no answers to wrongful convictions
When you have no scientific proofs to contradict years of unreliable expert testimony and false forensic education on the subject, this speaker just blames everyone but himself. He doesn’t dare answer the scientific inquiries of this White House panel on … Continue reading
Forensic lab autonomy in Mexico way ahead of US counterpart labs managed by police
Police have no jurisdiction in Mexican forensic science laboratories and investigations. DNA crime scene collection is done by civilian investigators. Fascinating. My county has made at least four attempts, in the last 30+ years, to put the Ventura County ME’s office … Continue reading
Michigan crime lab gets slammed ( those damned defense attys) for faking it for $$
Here we go again. Seems that these Mich State crime lab guys, prosecutors and the cops might be incentivising each other to boost felony convictions and their own coffers. “What recently uncovered emails reveal is that the AG’s office, the … Continue reading
Another ugly story about how junk forensic science ruins lives in the US
This is the first time I have heard a judge describe junk forensic science as a threat to “public safety.” I use the original Latin phrase……. Salus populi suprema lex “Public safety is the highest law” https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/citing-flawed-forensics-va-governor-pardons-man-who-spent-years-in-prison-in-deadly-arson-fire/2015/12/24/357edde6-aa7d-11e5-8058-480b572b4aae_story.html
Outspoken Innocence Project detractor runs pricey Forensic Science ethics training course
Wrongful convictions and almost daily news reports of exonerations have spurred a new industry in forensic science. These events have created a new theme in forensic science, namely “forensic science reform,” where government agencies, CJ institutes, academia and private parties have … Continue reading
Forensics: How human bitemarks should be used by prosecutors.
(photo credit: C. Michael Bowers and Raymond Johansen. From Digital Analysis of Bitemark Evidence. c 2004). This is an experimentally produced bitemark on a deceased pig ear. The bitemark was made by Dr. Johansen biting the specimen. Unfortunately, this amount of … Continue reading
Innocence Projects’ praise for Texas Forensic Commission’s deep look into bitemarks
The NY Innocence Project talks about this week’s New York Times article which has gone viral on the Net as an example of forensic science “reform” taking place in Texas. The bitemarkers are resorting to innuedos and red herrings to defend … Continue reading
Major US Forensic Lab Scandals by State : The DOJ takes a stab at solution
Rumblings about mess-ups in US government-run forensic labs has finally reached the US DOJ. The reliability aspects of who does the “accreditation” is another matter. Thanks to NACDL and @celiagivens at the DNA Newsletter. DOJ to Mandate Lab Accreditation The … Continue reading
Forensics: Correcting the effects of junk science is problematic in the US
The separation of the US judiciary individual state court systems creates a systemic obstacle to curing past damage created by flawed CSI expert testimony. Montana is the example used in this article to put this in a sharper focus. http://mtstandard.com/crime-and-courts/some-states-review-flawed-hair-analysis-convictions-but-so-far/article_078e5c5d-2d97-503f-b9fa-af337aa08585.html
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