This past Sunday, on his weekly half-hour HBO show, Last Week Tonight, comedian John Oliver discussed the growing prevalence of facial recognition technology in the criminal justice system. The issue is particularly relevant as protestors in the recent demonstrations demanding justice for George Floyd (and the numerous other BIPOC who have been subjected to violence …
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Upcoming Webinar Series: Serology, DNA and Probabilistic Genotyping Evidence
Please use this link to register for the series. Prior to the program, you will receive the link to connect to the webinar. If you have questions, please contact Sarah.R.Olson@nccourts.org. NC Indigent Defense Services and ForensiGen, LLC will offer a free-to-attend 3-part webinar series on serology, DNA, and probabilistic genotyping evidence. Dr. Max Noureddine will …
Upcoming Webinar Series: Serology, DNA and Probabilistic Genotyping EvidenceRead More
Summer 2020 Hemp Update
Originally posted on June 16, 2020 on the North Carolina Criminal Law blog On Thursday, June 4, 2020, the North Carolina General Assembly passed S.B. 315, referred to as the State Farm Bill, which was subsequently signed into law by the Governor. The bill was pending all last session and stalled, allegedly over a dispute about how …
Upcoming Webinar: Best Practice Interviewing of Children in Sexual Abuse Cases
Thursday, June 25, 2020 at 3:00PM If you plan to attend please use this link and we will send you WebEx instructions via email prior to the program. If you have questions please email Sarah.R.Olson@nccourts.org. Description: The webinar will provide essential information about evidenced-based forensic interviews of children in sexual abuse cases. By the end …
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NIJ Publishes Digital Evidence Policies and Procedures Manual
This month the National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ) Forensic Technology Center of Excellence published a Digital Evidence Policies and Procedures Manual to be used as a guide for law enforcement agencies. The preface to the manual clarifies that policies and procedures should be tailored to fit each lab’s particular circumstances, and further that a manual …
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State v. Sasek: Importance of making 702 challenges at trial
On May 19th, 2020 the North Carolina Court of Appeals issued its opinion State v. Sasek. Mr. Sasek was convicted in March of 2019 of possession with intent to sell or deliver a schedule II controlled substance and sale of methamphetamine, which led to the revocation of his probation. Defense counsel should be aware of …
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Upcoming Webinar: Determining Malingering and Deception in Forensic Settings
Thursday, May 21, 2020 at 1:00PM If you plan to attend please register using this link and we will send you WebEx instructions via email prior to the program. If you have questions, please email Sarah.R.Olson@nccourts.org. Dr. Michelle Barrett, a forensic psychologist at Central Regional Hospital, presented this live webinar recently for the NC Conference …
Upcoming Webinar: Determining Malingering and Deception in Forensic SettingsRead More
OCME & NCSCL Pretrial Conferences During Covid-19
Even though the courts are currently holding only a limited number of essential hearings to help limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus, attorneys who are teleworking may still need to hold pretrial conferences with forensic scientists. While in-person meetings are not possible at this time, there are still options for holding remote meetings with …
The Blind Leading the Blind: Recent Article Discusses the HFSC Blind Testing Program
From the National Academy of Sciences, to the Washington Post, to Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, there seems to be consensus that additional research is needed to validate several fields of forensic science. One challenge in collecting sufficient evidence to establish foundational validity is that because there is no ground truth in forensic casework, …
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What to watch when quarantined
Are you done with Tiger King and don’t know what to watch next? Each of the series below is available on Netflix and offers insight into various forensic evidence methods. How to Fix a Drug ScandalThis four-episode series chronicles what happens when two drug analysts in Massachusetts commit misconduct in the lab. The series examines …
Noteworthy NC COA fingerprint opinion
Defenders should take note of State v. Koiyan, COA19-951, an April 7, 2020 decision where the NC Court of Appeals found that the trial court erred by admitting fingerprint testimony where the examiner “failed to demonstrate that he ‘applied the principles and methods reliably to the facts of the case,’ as required by Rule 702(a)(3).” …
Cell Phone Forensics and Cell Phone Location Evidence Online CLEs
Envista Forensics will present two free-to-view online CLEs in April. 1.0 hours of General or Information Technology CLE credit is anticipated for each session. Attorneys receiving CLE credit will be billed $3.50 per credit hour by the NC State Bar. The program is being offered for criminal defense attorneys and criminal defense investigators. Registration is …
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Online CLE – Working with Mental Health Experts: Psychological Testing in Criminal Cases
Friday, May 15, 20201:00-2:00 pm This previously-announced program will now be offered as a webinar instead of an in-person event. If you plan to attend, please register using this link and we will send you the WebEx instructions by email prior to the program. If you have questions, please email Sarah.R.Olson@nccourts.org. Co-Sponsored by the Guilford …
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Forensic resources in the time of Coronavirus
Many of you remain on the front lines of criminal defense in these challenging times. IDS thanks you for your commitment and dedication. Others may find themselves working from home and perhaps delving into issues that they haven’t been able to address previously. In either case, I remain available to assist you with the forensic …
New Standard for Detection Dogs
The AAFS Standards Board has issued the General Guidelines for Training, Certification, and Documentation of Canine Detection Disciplines. The new standard contains requirements for the development of training of canine handlers and canines. It also details the canine team assessments and the basis for certification procedures including record keeping and document management. The AAFS Standards …