Live webinar presented by Timothy Suggs and Jordan Duhe Willetts Mar. 2, 2023, 12:30 pm 90 min of CLE credit anticipated This program is the second in a series of 4 webinars focused on issues related to firearms evidence. NC State Crime Lab Quality Manager Timothy Suggs will help attorneys understand how the quality system …
Join the Indigent Defense Services Team
Indigent Defense Services (IDS) is seeking a Recruitment and Training Coordinator to equip defenders to provide more effective legal services for our indigent clients through understanding how developmental and community backgrounds impact both our client population and the attorneys who serve them. This newly-created grant-funded position represents an exciting opportunity to impact personnel and practice in the representation of …
Use of Rap Lyrics at Trial
Whether the prosecution can use rap lyrics as evidence of a defendant’s guilt comes up regularly in criminal cases. Researchers have found evidence of rap lyrics being introduced in hundreds of criminal cases nationwide. In North Carolina, the use of rap lyrics was upheld in the unpublished Court of Appeals decision, State v. Allen, NC …
Digital Investigation Techniques: A NIST Scientific Foundation Review
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) finalized a report in Nov. 2022, first published in draft form in May, that reviews the scientific foundations of forensic methods for analyzing computers, mobile phones and other electronic devices. The full report is available here. Attorneys may find the report helpful for several reasons. First, the report …
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How to Access NC State Crime Lab Procedures and Quality Records
Attorneys often ask me how to access the State Crime Lab’s procedures. I have described how to do it in the post below. I encourage everyone to request access to the procedures and records now because it may take at least one business day for your request to be granted. Once you are given access, …
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2023 Forensic Trial Litigation CLE at Duke Law
February 24 (2 pm to 5 pm) and February 25 (9 am to 12 pm, 2 pm to 5 pm) (and 2 hours prerecorded) Forensic evidence, from DNA to fingerprints to ballistics, has never been more important in criminal cases. Actually litigating scientific evidence in the courtroom can be challenging and requires some specialized skills. A …
Whiskey in the Courtroom 9: Evolving Trends in Forensic Science – DNA Evidence
Registration is now open here for the ninth annual CLE, Whiskey in the Courtroom: Evolving Trends in Forensic Science, sponsored by Indigent Defense Services, the Duke Law Center for Criminal Justice and Professional Responsibility, and the Wilson Center for Science and Justice. Whiskey 9 will take place in person only on March 10, 2023 at Duke …
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2023 IDS Forensic Science Education Series
IDS and the Mecklenburg Public Defender’s Office provide regular continuing education to dozens of NC criminal defense and parent attorneys, investigators, and mitigation specialists who attend the IDS Forensic Science Education Series. In 2023, we will offer monthly 90-minute webinars on various forensic disciplines and preparations for Daubert/702 challenges. These webinars will take place typically …
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New Resource on Face Recognition
The Georgetown Law Center on Privacy & Technology has released a new report on face recognition which is designed to serve as a resource for researchers and criminal justice stakeholders encountering this technology. The report, “A Forensic Without the Science: Face Recognition in U.S. Criminal Investigations” and accompanying resources, including a brief, motion, affidavit, and …
Is the caller the killer?
ProPublica reporter Brett Murphy published his first article in a series of investigative reporting about a controversial method being used by some law enforcement officers to determine whether a 911 caller is guilty or innocent. NC homicide investigators were trained at a NC Homicide Investigators Association Conference by the method’s creator, Tracy Harpster. The method …
Concussion as a Mitigating Factor in Capital Murder Webinar
If you are free at 1 pm on Nov. 22, tune into the Law and Mental Health Webinar series offered by the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. Dr. Shawn Acheson of Asheville will be presenting on brain injuries and the use of concussion as a mitigating factor in capital murder cases. If you …
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2022 IDS Forensic Science Education Series: Challenging Facial Recognition Evidence
Live webinar presented by Clare Garvie, Training and Resource Counsel, Fourth Amendment Center at NACDLNov. 3, 2022, 12:30 pm 90 min of CLE credit anticipated For the past twenty years, police across the U.S. have used face recognition as a routine investigative technique with little to no controls, oversight, or disclosure to the defense, despite …
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Law and Mental Health Webinar Series
If you would like to know more about the intersection of law, criminal justice, and behavioral health, you should check out the weekly Law and Mental Health Webinar Series offered by the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. Speakers represent a variety of fields including forensic psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, public defenders, and judges. …
2022 IDS Forensic Science Education Series – Challenging Searches & Seizures of Digital Data
Live webinar presented by Sidney Thaxter, Senior Litigator for the Fourth Amendment Center at NACDL Oct. 6, 2022, 12:30 pm 90 min of CLE credit anticipated Searches and seizures of digital data are now routine in criminal investigations, but the role of the Fourth Amendment in the digital world is far from settled. This training …
2022 IDS Forensic Science Education Series – Lab Quality Systems
Live webinar presented by Dr. Peter Stout and Jake Minick Sept. 1, 2022, 12:30 pm 90 min of CLE credit anticipated This program will discuss the quality systems in place in forensic labs, including lab accreditation, analyst certification, and proficiency testing, as well as the limitations of these systems. Dr. Stout leads the Houston Forensic …
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