Tag Archives: forensic examiner error

Frye Rule still lives in NY: Judge rules disagreement of DNA experts boots NYCME LCN DNA

New York justice is an amazing blend of wildcard judicial decisions about what are “scientifically” reliable methods in order to allow expert forensic testimony. I’m amazed that a NY judge in a 2 1/2 year (!!!) Frye hearing on the issue surrounding … Continue reading

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Pathologist gets spanked for using defendant’s statements as basis for determining cause and manner of death

This case defines some limits to what a medical expert can consider in rendering  “with medical certainty” testimony. This should be a message to the odontologists who rely on law enforcement to determine how many people should be considered potential “biters” … Continue reading

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Private Funding for Forensic Science Assessments: A Quality and Gap Analysis

Comment: Notable in this announcement from the AAAS are the echoes of  previous narratives from various US forensic governmental oversight committees such as the National Research Council (NAS), NCFS, Congressional subcommittees and such. Funding of forensic science research is paltry in comparison … Continue reading

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“No preset rules in DNA Forensics”: examples of errors and doubts in DNA casework that juries must tackle.

This does not read like CSI Miami. Wait, that one got cancelled. Thank you Jesus. “A 2013 survey by the National Institute of Standards and Technology asked analysts from 108 labs to look at a three-person mixture and determine if … Continue reading

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How a death row exoneree got to be on a conviction integrity commission

How a death row exoneree got to be on a forensic integrity commission tasked to ferret out wrongful convictions.  Terrorism attack in Tunisia brings immediate forensic and law enforcement response from the UK. Local medical examiner for two counties investigated … Continue reading

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The “Reverse CSI Effect” and imperfect aspects of LCN DNA ignored ; The Marshall Project

The best journalism on this subject I have so far seen in print. From the Marshall Project Comments: It describes the influence of DNA popularity with juries juries amounting to I call a “Reverse CSI Effect.” The original CSI effect (according … Continue reading

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A parable for battling forensic experts : Albert Einstein’s “stalker” named Philipp Lenard

Read about Einstein vs. Lenard at the The Raw Story This has a forensic ‘science’ connection, from a historical POV of long ago, but this quote………… “The story of Philipp Lenard reminds us that even scientists of the very highest caliber sometimes … Continue reading

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US forensic group’s new research explodes its own credibility. They then stumble into the denial and blame game. Again.

The Watch Radley Balko April 8, 2015 A bite mark matching advocacy group just conducted a study that discredits bite mark evidence In February, I posted a four-part series on the forensic speciality of bite mark analysis. The series looked … Continue reading

Posted in AAFS, ABFO, Bite Marks, CSI, expert testimony, Forensic Science, Forensic Science Bias | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Efforts to rid court system of outdated and flawed forensic “expertise”

Old Convictions, New Science Texas tackles debunked forensics. This legislative process in Texas reflects how the monolithic (i.e huge) US criminal justice system “repairs” itself. I use the word “repair” very loosely in that people have to be injured, killed … Continue reading

Posted in AAFS, ABFO, Bad Forensic Science, Bite Marks, Bitemarks, Civil rights, costs of wrongful convictions, Crime, criminal justice, criminal justice reform, CSI, death penalty, DNA mixtures, DNA profiling, exoneration, Exoneration costs, expert testimony, Forensic Dentistry, Forensic Science, Forensic Science Bias, forensic science misconduct, forensic science reform, forensic testimony, Innocence March, junk forensic science, police crime labs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Forensics: What’s the world coming to? Now the FBI is saying their DNA lab calculations since 1999 are incorrect?

The tainted atmosphere surrounding forensic science in general and specifically in regards to the devastating FBI faux pas from their elite hair people is still bouncing around the media-verse. With that still happening,  the FBI now says their DNA population … Continue reading

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