The Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Evidence (OSAC) develops documentary standards for forensics through a standards developing organization or other consensus-based process that allows for participation and comment from relevant stakeholders. Standards under consideration as well as approved standards are available in the OSAC Registry. Standards are being developed for each forensic discipline.
Bite Mark
Eddie Lee Howard, Jr. v. State of Mississippi
Bite mark case where conviction was reversed based on changes in the science being newly discovered evidence.
State of Georgia v. Sheila Denton – Order for New Trial
2020 Order granting a motion for a new trial based upon advancements in scientific understanding and American Board of Forensic Odontology (ABFO) guidelines that would compel a different expert opinion if the case were tried today. In 2016, the ABFO Standards and Guidelines were changed significantly to no longer allow a conclusion of “exact match” …
State of Georgia v. Sheila Denton – Order for New TrialRead More
Georgia inmate leaves prison after nearly 16 years following order granting new trial
‘It’s essentially junk:’ $7.5M bite mark settlement underscores national call for better forensic evidence
Additional bite mark articles
The bibliographies (here and here) contain citations to published articles on bite mark analysis. If you need access to these articles, contact Sarah Rackley Olson.
Cases Where DNA Revealed that Bite Mark Analysis Led to Wrongful Arrests and Convictions
Article by the Innocence Project identifying concerns with bite mark analysis and discussing five cases where individuals were convicted based largely on bite mark analysis, only to be proven innocent through DNA years later.
Cases Where DNA Revealed that Bite Mark Analysis Led to Wrongful Arrests and ConvictionsRead More
Forensic Ontology – Bitemark Evidence
Blog created by David C. Averill, DDS, and past president of the American Board of Forensic Odontology. It includes articles and news reports on the controversial area of bite mark analysis, as well as information about cases where bite mark evidence has played a role.
Innocence Project’s amicus brief
For a copy of the Innocence Project’s amicus brief in a Frye challenge to the admissibility of bite mark evidence, email Sarah Rackley Olson.
American Board of Forensic Odontology (ABFO) Reference Manual
As of 2016, the ABFO Standards and Guidelines no longer permit conclusions of “exact match” or that a perpetrator made a mark without a doubt. This marks a significant change in the field. The strongest conclusion permissible now is that a person is “not excluded as having made the bitemark.” See p. 94 and 102. …
American Board of Forensic Odontology (ABFO) Reference ManualRead More
Bite Mark
THE INNOCENCE PROJECT (IP) is a national litigation and public policy organization based in New York dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals through DNA and reforming the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice. As the DNA exonerations have revealed, the misapplication of forensic science has been a leading cause of wrongful convictions. The newly created …