North Carolina Office of Indigent Defense Services
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 …
<strong>2023 IDS Forensic Science Education Series</strong>Read More
Live webinar presented by Mitha Nandagopalan, JDDecember 7, 2023, 12:30pm90 min of CLE credit anticipated Police in dozens of cities are increasingly relying on acoustic gunshot detection technology such as ShotSpotter, which purports to use microphones in multiple locations along with artificial intelligence to identify and locate gunfire. The technology, however, presents serious evidentiary and constitutional …
The State Crime Lab recently got a new Ombudsperson who may be familiar to many of you: former IDS Defender Administrator Susan Brooks. As Ombudsperson, Susan will be responsible for addressing concerns about the Crime Lab’s policies, procedures, and actions. She will also assist in mediating conflicts and resolving complaints, and she will apprise the …
Originally posted on North Carolina Criminal Law, A UNC School of Government blog I mentioned in a recent News Roundup that the U.S. Supreme Court granted review in Smith v. Arizona. The case tees up a question that has been lingering since at least 2012: Does the Confrontation Clause permit the admission of substitute forensic analyst testimony? This …
Live webinar presented by Spencer McInvailleNovember 2, 2023, 12:30pm90 min of CLE credit (technology hour) anticipated Do you know what FLOCK, ALPRs, open source investigations, infotainment systems, reverse Google searches, Fusion Centers and real time crime centers are? You need to because law enforcement may be using them to investigate your cases. The presentation will …
The New York State Defender’s Association Discovery and Forensic Support Unit is hosting a 10-part forensic webinar series covering current issues in forensic litigation. The series is offered for free to all defense practitioners and defense team members. The sessions begin this month and conclude in March 2024. Click here to register for the entire series …
Live webinar presented by Larry DanielOctober 5, 2023, 12:30pmApproved for 90 min of CLE credit (technology credit) Cell phone location evidence is used frequently by law enforcement to show a suspect’s location at the time of a crime. This training will provide attorneys and investigators with background information on cellular technology, carrier stored data, how …
IDS is sharing this information from Megan Williams, MSPH, MSW, Research Associate at the UNC Collaborative for Maternal and Infant Health to assist counsel representing clients who may be pregnant. The number of incarcerated women has risen dramatically across North Carolina in the past few decades, and about 5-7% of incarcerated women are pregnant. Incarcerated …
Information for Attorneys Representing Pregnant ClientsRead More
Live webinar presented by Jan Tate, MSW, LCSW, MEd, CSOTPSeptember 7, 2023, 12:30pm90 min of CLE credit anticipated Psychosexual evaluations include sexual abuser–specific assessments and promote informed decision making among those who share responsibility for treatment, risk management, and other domains of intervention. Empirically–informed and reliable sexual abuser–specific assessments can be used, for example, to …
Psychosexual Evaluation and Sexual Risk AssessmentsRead More
Desiree Gorbea-Finalet, Project Manager for the Traumatic Brain Injury Project at Disability Rights North Carolina has shared the following resources that may be helpful for attorneys working with clients who may have a Traumatic Brain Injury. Traumatic Brain Injury: A Guide for Criminal Justice Professionals (CDC) Accessible Court Participation with a Brain Injury – The …
Attorney Darcia Forester, Deputy Public Defender, State of Hawaii has compiled this list of podcasts episodes relating to Forensic Sciences – including DNA, fingerprints, ballistics, government surveillance, facial recognition, cell phones, data collection and algorithms. Attorneys are encouraged to utilize this comprehensive list as a resource.
North Carolina State University (NCSU) and the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCOE) will host a two-part virtual workshop series on the Qualifications of an Expert Witness for Legal Professionals. This workshop series will discuss topics surrounding qualifications of expert witnesses in forensic disciplines under both the Daubert and the Frye standards. Part I of this …
Virtual Workshop Series: Qualifications of an Expert Witness for Legal ProfessionalsRead More
The Maryland Supreme Court granted a new trial after deciding that a firearms examiner should not have been permitted to offer an unqualified opinion that the crime scene bullets were fired from the defendant’s gun. Specifically, the reports, studies, and testimony relied on by the examiner did not demonstrate that the firearms identification methodology employed …
Limits Imposed on Ballistics Evidence by MD Supreme CourtRead More
Live webinar presented by Dr. Shawn AchesonAugust 3, 2023, 12:30pm90 min of CLE credit anticipated This workshop will provide an overview of the kind of work that neuropsychologists do, how they do it, and how it may be helpful to criminal defense attorneys. The bulk of this presentation will focus on brain injury and how …
Neuropsychology of Brain Injury in Criminal Contexts – What Attorneys Need to KnowRead More
North Carolina State University (NCSU) and the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCOE) will host a two-part virtual workshop series on the Qualifications of an Expert Witness for Legal Professionals. This workshop series will discuss topics surrounding qualifications of expert witnesses in forensic disciplines under both the Daubert and the Frye standards. Part I of …
Virtual Workshop Series: Qualifications of an Expert Witness for Legal ProfessionalsRead More
Case Background Last September, the NACDL joined forces with the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) to file an amicus brief in support of the defense in New Jersey v. Arteaga. The question before the Appellate Division was whether the defense is entitled to information about how a face recognition search …
NJ Appellate Decision: Defense Entitled to Face Recognition InformationRead More
