Free Recorded webinarPresented by Dr. Kima Taylor and Dr. Mishka Terplan; moderated by Andrea LyonOriginally recorded July 2, 2025Approx. 90 min. Stigma and misinformation about substance use during pregnancy often lead to infants being removed from their parents’ custody without understanding the needs of the parent or child. Led by medical experts, this program aims …
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Inside the State Crime Lab: Forensic Testing Explained Webinars
For the second half of the year, the IDS Forensic Science Education Series will take a deeper look into the testing performed at the State Crime Lab. In each session, an analyst from the State Crime Lab will present about the testing performed in their section of the lab. We hope that the sessions will …
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Expert assistance in toxicology and pharmacology available starting July 1, 2025 through Expert Services Project
Access to qualified expert services is essential to public defense. To better equip defenders with the resources they need to achieve fair and just outcomes for clients, Indigent Defense Services launched the pilot Expert Services Project in 2021 and is expanding it to include toxicology and pharmacology experts on July 1, 2025. This Project provides …
Managing Digital Discovery Webinar
Live webinar presented by Devshi Mehrotra and Derek HarrisJune 5, 2025, 12:30pm90 min of CLE credit anticipated In today’s criminal cases, defenders are increasingly confronted with massive volumes of data, including cell phone dumps, surveillance footage, social media records, and forensic reports. This program is designed to equip criminal defense attorneys and team members with …
State Crime Lab Tour Offered
Would you like to see where evidence is tested at the State Crime Lab and learn more about the methods used at the Lab? The NC State Crime Laboratory is offering a tour of the Lab in Raleigh for criminal defense attorneys and investigators. The tour will take place on June 19, 2025 at 9:30 …
False Positives, Real Consequences: What the Quest Diagnostics Issue Reveals About Drug Testing Failures
In April 2025, The Guardian reported that Quest Diagnostics used an “alternative reagent” in thousands of urine drug screens conducted within California prisons (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/09/california-prison-drug-tests). This change, made without sufficient external disclosure, resulted in a dramatic spike in presumptive positive tests for opiates—tripling the usual rate. More than 5,000 incarcerated individuals may have been affected, many …
Criminal defense group visits State Crime Lab
Here are some staff members from the 39th Defender District PD Office (serving Cleveland and Lincoln counties). Pictured left to right: Tim Hajj (Investigator); Hailey Porterfield (APD); Andrew Arden (APD); Deidre Nachamie (APD); Allison Garren (APD); and Ivana Hughes (APD). About 20 assistant public defenders, private defense counsel, investigators and legal assistants from Rutherford, Lincoln, Cleveland, …
AI, Due Process, and Scientific Evidence
NACDL invites you to join us for a discussion exploring Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the criminal legal system featuring Duke Law Professor Brandon Garrett, author of Defending Due Process: Why Fairness Matters in a Polarized World. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session led by NACDL President-Elect, Andrew Birrell. AI is increasingly used to make important decisions …
Open House at the State Crime Lab
The North Carolina State Crime Lab is offering open house opportunities for the public. Scientists from the various disciplines will be available to provide demonstrations and answer questions. The open houses will take place at the following times: Raleigh Lab – April 8, 2025: 4-8 pm and April 10, 2025: 4-8 pm Western Lab – …
Spring 2025 Cannabis Update
I have been covering developments around the legalization of hemp in North Carolina since 2018. Never did I suspect then that I would still be working on the topic all this time later, but here we are. My last post on In Re: J.B.P. covered the then most recent developments around probable cause and the odor of …
Maximizing the Digital Tools We Already Have
Live webinar presented by Jamie Blackwell and Anthony MonaghanApr 3, 2025, 12:30pm90 min of Tech CLE credit anticipated This program will prepare attorneys and defense teams to utilize technology tools that many offices already have access to in order to maximize effectiveness in representing their clients in cases involving large amounts of digital discovery. Speakers …
Can Law Enforcement Review Ankle Monitor Location Data Without a Warrant?
Reposted from North Carolina Criminal Law, a UNC School of Government Blog Last September, the Court of Appeals decided State v. Thomas, No. COA23-210, __ N.C. App. __ (2024), a case involving law enforcement’s retrieval of ankle monitor location data gathered while the defendant was on post-release supervision. This is the first North Carolina appellate case …
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Defending Death by Distribution Cases in NC
Join us in Durham March 27 & 28, 2025 for a FREE, in-person training on Defending Death by Distribution Cases. Topics will include: Co-sponsored by IDS, NACDL, NCAJ, and Vital Strategies, this program is open to all North Carolina criminal defense lawyers, investigators, and mitigation specialists. Make plans to join us in RTP for this …
Western Regional State Crime Lab tour offered
Would you like to see where evidence is tested at the State Crime Lab and learn more about the methods used at the Lab? The NC State Crime Laboratory is offering a tour of the Western Regional Lab in Edneyville for criminal defense attorneys and investigators. The tour will take place on Apr. 4, 2025 …
Probabilistic Genotyping: Interpreting Complex DNA Mixtures with STRmix CLE
The Mecklenburg County Public Defender’s Office is offering a free to attend presentation on Probabilistic Genotyping: Interpreting Complex DNA Mixtures with STRmix. Pending Approval by the NC State Bar, this presentation is for 2.5 hours of general CLE credit. As this presentation will not give a refresher course on DNA basics, please click the below …
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