Tag Archives: criminal justice

Jury looking at exaggerated forensic opinions – a strong bias results

A law prof tries a simple way to explain what PCAST is concerned about. He also includes the following: [Brandon Garrett at Va. Law’s Faculty Q&A] Few studies had been done examining how jurors appreciate some of the most commonly … Continue reading

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Bad forensic testing and testimony is no problem for this DA

A successful re-trial motion for a convicted murderer is getting a W.Va. DA to use his right of appeal. Making no inroads in the prosecutorial pantheon of notable literature, the DA says the original conviction was “finalized” in 1988. Full article … Continue reading

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Forensic Bias Redux: Execution vacated. Internal crime lab safeguards blew it.

Colleagues had doubts and concerns. The cops and supervisors loved her work. She admits to be a bit histrionic in and out of the job. The state’s AG has no concerns. Recently the governor and one judge pulled back from … Continue reading

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How-To about jury deliberations that do not convict the defendant

“Jury Myths” is an op-ed by a defense attorney on popular definition misconceptions regarding legal procedural and factual differences;  he compares ‘innocence’ versus ‘not guilty’ versus ‘guilty’ outcomes at criminal trials. It boils down to  ‘actual innocence’  being a product of … Continue reading

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Facial reconstruction from a blood sample used for criminal investigation

Nothing in this newspaper blurb says how any of this has been validated. The police admit not being sure what to do with it. No one brought up the ‘CSI’ method of using digital facial recognition which seems to be … Continue reading

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Another defense DNA expert has a bad day. Forgot to update his CV. Only has a Bachelors.

  This fellow has an extensive curriculum vitae. His website looks polished. He reports as being a Member of the AAFS and a Fellow of the ABC (Criminalists). He’s gotten the boot from a New York for a number of … Continue reading

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LEOs not reporting police shooting/custody deaths still using their DOJ grant money and MRAPS

The disonant (or maybe permissive) Department of Justice federal oversight of local law enforcement agencies seems to rival a tragicomedy versions of “who’s on first?” Or more impolitely, the boondoggle. The decades-long sharing of military equipment with police ( 1033 program … Continue reading

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Why exoneration litigation counts – Real murderers were left on the streets

Michael Hanline having his first hamburger since 1983. These cases always show how the real perps are left untouched to commit more murders and crime. The reasons for the exons commonly include police misconduct or weak investigations, lying witnesses or … Continue reading

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PCAST in the news – The DNA Blog from the New York Legal Aid Soc

Edited by Julie Fry Written by Celia Givens PCAST report raises questions about validity of forensic sciences in criminal courts A new draft report from the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) has caused concerns about the … Continue reading

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“You have no balls” says a noted bite mark dentist – More about this and the #PCAST report on forensics

Bill Richards, who spent nearly 23 years in prison based on dubious bite-mark evidence, was released in June. Photo: Courtesy of Michael Semanchik, California Innocence Project. The inimitable and award winning Jordan Smith at The Intercept once again lays the hammer on the prime example … Continue reading

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