The ABA House of Delegates approved a Resolution in 2012 urging judges to consider several factors when determining the manner in which expert testimony is presented in criminal trials. The Resolution and its accompanying report urge attorneys and judges to seek “innovative solutions” to help jurors understand the significance and limitations of scientific evidence, such …
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Part 3: ISO and the NC Forensic Sciences Act of 2011
This is the third in a three-part series on lab accreditation, analyst certification, and ISO-compliant lab procedures by Ryan Niland. In response to concerns about the failures of the North Carolina State Crime Laboratory (formerly known as the SBI lab), North Carolina passed the Forensic Sciences Act (FSA) in 2011. Among other things, the FSA …
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Part 2: The Lab Accreditation Process
This is the second in a three-part series on lab accreditation, analyst certification, and ISO-compliant lab procedures by Ryan Niland. Several major organizations offer accreditation services for forensic labs in the United States. The American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB) is by far the largest accrediting body for forensic labs, followed by …
Part 1: What’s the difference between accreditation and certification?
This is the first in a three-part series on lab accreditation, analyst certification, and ISO-compliant lab procedures by Ryan Niland. Understanding the distinctions between lab accreditation and analyst certification can be important when critically examining forensic analyses. Although both processes relate to quality assurance for forensic analysis, the term accreditation generally applies to laboratories as …
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Developing Analyses of Biological Evidence: Predicting Eye Color, Determining the Source of Bodily Fluids, and Locating Trace Evidence Within Guns
Several studies reported in the January 2013 Issue of Forensic Science International: Genetics are of interest for future developments in forensic evidence. Research is being done on predicting eye color, hair color, and skin color from DNA. Currently, 37 gene sequences (SNPs or single nucleotide polymorphisms) have been identified as playing a role in these …
History of DNA Analysis Timeline – Available Online
A DNA analysis timeline is now available on the IDS Forensic Resources website. The timeline traces the development of forensic DNA analysis and its use by the NC State Crime Lab. It seeks to identify what technologies were available during a particular time period. It is a helpful tool for attorneys working on older cases …
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Stateline and NPR report on the state of forensic science labs
In a two-part report, Stateline examines the problems facing crime labs across the country. Part one of the series addresses recent problems plaguing crime labs and the need for judicial education regarding the reliability of forensic evidence. Part two introduces a new forensic lab in Washington, D.C. which operates independently of state law enforcement agencies …
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The ENCODE project, the Fourth Amendment, and Haskill v. Harris
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, sitting en banc, heard oral arguments on whether DNA fingerprinting violates the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable search and seizure on September 19. Plaintiffs-Appellants in Haskell v. Harris argue that collection of DNA at arrest violates their privacy interests because DNA contains not only CODIS markers that help in …
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Guide to Working With Experts – Now Available Online
Attorneys can now access the “Guide to Working with Experts” on the IDS Forensics website. The guide was created as an additional tool to assist attorneys in effectively vetting experts and offers tips on productive communication with experts. You can access the guide here. Additionally, attorneys can use the American Board of Medical Specialties website …
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SCOTUS to Decide on Dog Sniffs and Privacy
The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear two Florida cases at the end of October regarding dog sniffs and the Fourth Amendment. The Florida Supreme Court ruled in Florida v. Jardines that taking a drug detection dog to the front porch of a home to sniff for marijuana violated the Fourth Amendment. They held …
Crime lab backlogs and the Massachusetts lab scandal
Many readers are probably aware of the scandal unfolding in the Massachusetts State Police lab, where chemist Annie Dookhan has been charged with obstructing justice by falsifying data in criminal cases and lying under oath about her qualifications. Dookhan was responsible for testing substances that were suspected to be drugs. An October 9, 2012 article …
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“Forensics on Trial” program on NOVA
NOVA (PBS) aired a program called “Forensics on Trial” on October 17, 2012, examining the crisis facing crime labs in the U.S which lack central oversight, employ few scientific standards, and have poor regulation of examiners. The program investigates how the use of fingerprint, bite mark, ballistics, toolmark, and hair analysis evidence has led to …
The “Birthday Problem”
Defense attorneys interested in learning more about DNA statistics might find the following articles interesting because the “birthday problem” is analogous to looking for partial matches in a DNA database. The birthday problem is a classic puzzle that asks if you had a room full of people, how many people would you need in the …
Oregon State Police Questioned Document Unit Under Review
Criminal cases that utilized handwriting analysis performed by the Oregon State Police Forensic Services Division are being re-examined after it was uncovered earlier this year that Oregon State Police handwriting analysts may have tainted evidence in those cases. The Questioned Document Unit, which handles handwriting analysis, was shut down in April of this year after …
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Free at Last! Willie Grimes Exonerated by 3-Judge Panel
A 3-judge panel found Willie Grimes innocent after thirty-minutes of deliberation on Friday. Grimes had been sentenced to life in prison in 1987 after being convicted of two counts of first degree rape and one count of second degree kidnapping. He was paroled in May of this year after serving twenty-four years in prison. Grimes’s …
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