Here is a very good NPR presentation on the state of forensic science. It is worth the read: Scandals Call Into Question Crime Labs’ Oversight by MARIE CUSICK Three years ago, a report from the National Academy of Sciences exposed serious problems in the nation’s forensic science community. It found not only a lack of peer-reviewed science in […]
Doughnuts and Blood Testing – How the government’s own data often proves that they contaminate blood samples and look the other way
The Colorado Springs Independent recently published an article about laboratory concerns within the Colorado State crime laboratory system. The article written by Chet Hardin was called “Blood and circus: Why many DUI lawyers don’t trust the state’s drug lab.” One of the issues discussed was the problem of ethanol being detected in blanks. The governments position of […]
National Science Foundation Science and Engineering Indicators 2012 paints a grim picture of jurors
Many a time I have scratched my head baffled at juries, prosecutors, and even judges who just seemingly hate science. I am not talking about competing legitimate theories rooted in science, but rather intentional ignorance or flat-out denial in favor of the unsupported or pseudo-scientific. The National Science Foundation just released its findings about scientific […]
Whose data is it? The Crime Laboratory or the People
One of the continuing sources of frustration to many criminal defense attorneys is that generally what we get in discovery is simply garbage conclusory reports of little value. What criminal defense attorneys look to do is to verify and validate these conclusions set to this conclusory report. In essence, we simply seek to do science. […]
Garbage conclusory reports
One of the more frustrating things that criminal defense attorneys run into are garbage conclusory reports. One of the common misperceptions is that the lawyer for the accused gets information from the crime laboratory upon demand. This is not so. What we usually get can best be characterized as garbage conclusory reports. These garbage conclusory […]
The Pharmacology of Ethanol: When the Number Doesn’t Match the Science
The pharmacology of ethanol has been well-studied for a great many years. Lost to antiquity is precisely where and when the pharmacodynamics of ethanol was first studied. However, it is clear that ethanol’s effects on the human being was well known dating back to perhaps neolithic times perhaps as long ago as 9,000 years ago. […]
GERD and Evidentiary Breath Testing
Characterized as the “most dangerous form of contamination [in evidentiary breath testing]” by the world’s foremost alcohol physiologist A.W. Jones, Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disorder (GERD) and Evidentiary Breath Testing (EBT0 that produce readable breath alcohol content (BrAC) estimates do not mix. It can provide for disaster. The BrAC machines that the police use in the […]
Another week, another crime laboratory scandal: We continue to struggle with basic validity in forensic science
Another week, another crime laboratory scandal. Hardly a week goes by where this blog doesn’t feature yet another crime laboratory scandal. We continue to struggle with basic validity in forensic science. Today, it’s Broward County, tomorrow it may be your local laboratory! While it is truly horrible that this happened, at least in this case Medical […]
Inappropriate & Unethical Relationship Revealed between Drug Prosecutor & Chemist Annie Dookhan
The investigation into the Massachusetts Crime Lab scandal involving Annie Dookhan has revealed that there was an inappropriate and unethical relationship between her and a prosecutor in the district attorneys office. It appears that for the last two to three years, prosecutor George Papachristos had direct personal communication with Dookhan who was the chemist on […]
More on fingerprints: What is the permanence of fingerprints?
We have blogged here before on fingerprints as a forensic discipline. Here is an interesting article to think about on fingerprints. Just how durable are they? American Hans Galassi lost several fingers in a wakeboarding accident several months ago. Now one of them has been found in a trout – and identified as Galassi’s from […]
Eyewitness identification: Why do people get it wrong
I just watched a TED talk that I liked a lot. I thought I would share it with you. Enjoy, I did. Scott Fraser studies how humans remember crimes — and bear witness to them. In this powerful talk, which focuses on a deadly shooting at sunset, he suggests that even close-up eyewitnesses to a […]
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