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Tag Archives: Bad forensic science
Forensics: Arrests, Confessions and Convictions before substantive drug tests are finished.
The scenario: A “rush to justice” with considerable “war on drugs” overcharging of simple possession penalties leads to coerced plea bargains occurring months before definitive forensic testing is completed. http://www.takepart.com/feature/2015/11/20/houston-drug-war-exonerations?utm_source=Legal+Aid+DNA+Newsletter&utm_campaign=c1945f2fd3-DNA_Newsletter_144_28_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_332a53a218-c1945f2fd3-80240109&ct=t(DNA_Newsletter_144_28_2015)
Forensics: Itel Dror is a pioneer in “cognitvie bias” effects on CSI and courtroom testimony
Image from a prosecution’s bitemark expert. All it shows are common dental features. Overstated forensic science opinions can lead suspects into false confession. This Irish Times article gives this an overview and covers Itiel Dror’s decades long work examining how prosecutorial … Continue reading
Forensics is not immune: The bullshit factor in academics and science
Title: “On the reception and detection of pseudo-profound bullshit” This is a decidedly serious discussion on the soft belly of science and other expertism that is largely uncontrolled by peer review. It may join the continuum Peter W. Huber’s book “Galileo’s … Continue reading
In the Forensic News: Paleoanthropologists and Archeobiologists run amuck
A brief look at what exaggerating science in the news media brings to mind. I have noticed some of this trend in commerical-connected forensic news releases and desperate believers in outdated or debunked forensic techniques. I clearly remember a nearly … Continue reading
Forensic Science Reform Saves Lives
Changing forensic science practices and protocols to a basis of scientific proofs takes years. This one indelible fact reveals how slowly law enforcement, the courts, and “general acceptance” of established forensic groups adapt to legitimate change. Read about how John … Continue reading
Forensic Toxicology and death investigation. Ex-Coroner did a shabby job.
Another example of the effects of inconsistent and non-standardized management of questionable deaths in the US. Most coroners are not trained medical professionals. “Kane County Coroner changes cause of death from overdose to undetermined.” Events of note: the prior coroner … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Bad forensic science, CSI, Forensic science, misidentification
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U of AZ Science Professor posits bitemark clique as “junk” on eve of TX hearing
UA Professor Tackles Faulty Courtroom Science [Image] Steven Mark Chaney recently walked out of a Dallas courtroom after his 1987 conviction was overturned because of discredited bite-mark testimony. (Photo: Innocence Project) Today, the Texas Forensic Science Commission hears more testimony … Continue reading
UK : Police forced to reopen 350 cases botched by forensics officer who lied about credentials
Stephen Beattie, a senior forensics officer, was suspended and then quit in 2011 after it emerged that he exaggerated his expertise [This ethical transgression was first reported almost 5 years ago. Seems that this forensic review process described below was not a … Continue reading
Expert Forensics : Its not a good idea to recalculate your DNA during trial
Re-doing your forensic opinion during a evidentiary hearing in a serial killer (The “Grim Sleeper”) case in Los Angeles” will make EVERYONE very upset. This DNA fellow takes a huge hit from the judge, the prosecutor and his proffering defense attorney. … Continue reading
Posted in criminal justice, CSI
Tagged Bad forensic science, Criminal Justice, CSI, DNA profiling
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Forensics : “Outsiders from New York causing problems” in Oklahama and elsewhere
This is not a re run of “Anatomy of a Murder.” Law enforcement protectors in Tulsa are irate that 1) they recently had to pay out $8 million to a wrongly convicted African-American and 2) those damned exoneration litigators from … Continue reading
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