The Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), and his staff announced the release of his proposed bill the “Criminal Justice and Forensic Science Reform Act (CJFSRA).” You can read his press release here about the Criminal Justice and Forensic Science Reform Act (CJFSRA). [The following is a […]
The need to remain a forensic science skeptic: Apparent knowledge doesn’t equate actual knowledge
A lot of this blog is about exposing the limitations of assays and those performing the assays in forensic science. The truth is that very few forensic science disciplines involve assays and methods that have been truly validated. A lot of the folks performing the methods and testing are untrained, non-credentialed, nontechnical glorified traffic cops. […]
A Call to Banish Non-validated Science in the Courtroom: A plea for scientific truth
It is an exciting time that we all in live. I am confident that when historians of the law look back at this time, they will point to this era as a corrective time where the exaggerations of some of the disciplines in forensic science. We are shifting from the “wild wild west” mentality of […]
The Innocence Project weighs in on forensic science mishaps and fraudulent science
As of December 14, 2010, there have been 261 exonerees according to The Innocence Project. 74 of the 261 cases are connected to defective or fraudulent forensic science. That is over 28%. A new movie starring Hillary Swank in part exposes this phenomenon in Conviction. It chronicles the false conviction of Kenny Waters. From wikipedia: […]
Conclusion to the twelve part ISO 17025 introduction
In a series of posts, I am going to introduce the reader to the existence of ISO 17025 and its importance. I am going to introduce it in bite-sized bits for easy digestion. Just like all matters of learning, knowledge is incremental over time and builds upon previous exposure. So far we have answered the […]
Today’s accepted science is subject to review and is evolutionary
Science is a wonderful thing. It is perhaps the greatest organized device known for discovering the truth. However, it is not infallible. Today’s scientific axiom is tomorrow’s discredited idea. That is why I suggest that we as lawyers dealing with forensic science related aspects are living in a great time of fundamental change. It is […]
Is forensic science relevant to the police investigator?
An article caught my attention (thanks to our friend Christine Funk) so I wanted to share it with you as it highlights the difference between how far we think we have come versus where we are in reality The case against evidence From fingerprints to high-tech CSI, forensic science plays a much smaller role than […]
The case for raw data: “Integration” in Gas Chromatography: How to make an innocent person guilty in a DUI case by manipulating the software
The case for raw data: “Integration” in Gas Chromatography: How to make an innocent person guilty in a DUI case by manipulating the software. The video below is part of the lecture that I gave at the hands-on laboratory training course held by the American Chemical Society (ACS) and Axion Analytical Labs in Chicago, IL […]
What I don’t understand: Why I can’t get discovery
A very frequent refrain when it comes to forensic science laden cases among Defense attorneys is that they cannot get discovery in a meaningful way. In general, the discovery process is the exchange of information from the prosecuting agency to defendant’s counsel. There is the requirement that prosecutors give over to defense counsel all exculpatory […]
Everyone needs a little inspiration
“And that’s the terrible myth of organized society, that everything that’s done through the established system is legal and that word has a powerful psychological impact. It makes people believe that there is an order to life, and an order to a system, and that a person that goes through this order and is convicted, […]
The choices we all face in forensic science
One of the most universally recognized sculptures in the world is “David” shown on the left. But do you know the story behind it? Did you know that the famous depiction of David as crafted by the great Michelangelo is a depiction immediately before his battle with Goliath where David is frozen in time at […]
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