By Mark Rabil Have you been given a report from the SBI Lab (now the State Crime Lab) that says the results of DNA testing are “inconclusive”? Well, you should not necessarily believe it. The Tamera Bean noncapital murder case that was tried in Asheboro this month is a case in point. Defense Attorney David …
Crime Labs
Measurement Uncertainty
Any scientific measurement has some error associated with it. The concept of “measurement uncertainty” means that for even the most carefully performed measurement, the value of the thing being measured can never be known exactly – only an estimated value can be given. Measurement uncertainty and error rates can come into play in forensic science …
COA addresses bad lab reports in Duke Lacrosse case
By Daniel Shatz, Assistant Appellate Defender For those of you who just cannot get enough Duke Lacrosse news, the Court of Appeals issued an opinion on August 2, 2011 in a civil case involving a lawsuit filed by the DNA tester, Brian Meehan, against his former company, which had fired him “for cause.” Not surprisingly, the …
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Recommendations of the Ombudsman to the SBI
The NC Attorney General’s Office has released the Report of the Ombudsman, completed by Judge Vince Rozier, Jr. prior to leaving that position. The Ombudsman’s report is preceded by a memo from the Acting North Carolina State Crime Lab Director Joseph R. John, Sr. responding to the report’s recommendations. A few of the recommendations that …
“Putting the Science in Forensic Science” Editorial
AmStat News, the monthly newsletter of the American Statistical Association, published an editorial, “Putting the Science in Forensic Science: Helping Congress and the administration do what is possible” on August 1, 2011. The editorial, written by Clifford Spiegelman, Adina Schwartz, and Kate Philpott, presents recommendations of how to implement forensic science reform proposals that have …
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