PBS Frontline (1997). Summary of the Little Rascal Daycare Case.
Featured Articles
UNC School of Government Blog: Diminished Capacity
Jeff Welty discusses the increasing use of diminished capacity defenses in North Carolina. Post provides helpful cites of recent North Carolina cases in which the diminished capacity defense was used.
Evidence on Fire: North Carolina Law Review Article on the Admissibility of Fire-Science Evidence in Criminal Cases
Valena E. Beety et. al, Evidence on Fire, 97 N.C. L. Rev. 483, 516 (March 2019)
Psychological Assessments in Legal Contexts: Are Courts Keeping “Junk Science” Out of the Courtroom?
The Association for Psychological Science published a review by Tess Neal, Christopher Slobogin, Michael Saks, David Faigman, and Kurt Geisinger on the psychological assessment tools used by forensic psychologists. The study found 67% are generally accepted in the field and only about 40% have generally favorable reviews of their psychometric and technical properties. The study …
Cognitive Biases in the Peer Review of Bullet and Cartridge Case Comparison Casework: A Field Study
Jan. 28, 2020 article in Science & Justice finding that bias occurs in non-blind peer reviewed bullet and cartridge case comparisons. Higher status examiners have a large influence on the outcome of a discussion. Blind peer review may reduce the probability of bias during peer review.
NIST Tests Forensic Methods for Getting Data From Damaged Mobile Phones
This study looks at two methods for accessing data on damaged mobile phones.
NIST Tests Forensic Methods for Getting Data From Damaged Mobile PhonesRead More
Obtaining Medical Records in DWI Cases
Jan. 27, 2020 North Carolina Criminal Law blog post by Shea Denning
Defending Death by Distribution Cases
Jan. 21, 2020 NC Criminal Law blog post by Phil Dixon with links to resources for defenders litigating the new crimes of death by distribution and aggravated death by distribution in G.S. 14-18.4 cases.
No Longer the Gold Standard: Probabilistic Genotyping is Changing the Nature of DNA Evidence in Criminal Trials
Compelled Decryption Primer
NACDL’s Fourth Amendment Center has published a primer on whether law enforcement can compel a suspect to unlock or decrypt a device.
A Systematic Challenge to the Reliability and Admissibility of Firearms and Toolmark Identification
Article by Adina Schwartz, in The Columbia Science and Technology Law Review
Spark of Truth: Can Science Bring Justice to Arson Trials?
This October 2011, Discover Magazine article by Douglas Starr explains how the science of fire investigation has evolved in recent years and discusses why certain findings that have traditionally been interpreted as evidence of arson have been debunked. This article is an excellent reference for attorneys who are seeking additional information about fire investigation or …
Spark of Truth: Can Science Bring Justice to Arson Trials?Read More
Certainty and Uncertainty in Reporting Fingerprint Evidence
Jury study evaluating how potential jurors react to different language used by fingerprint examiners to express their conclusions. Available for free download.
Certainty and Uncertainty in Reporting Fingerprint EvidenceRead More
Feigned Consensus: Usurping the Law in Shaken Baby Syndrome/Abusive Head Trauma Prosecutions
Univ. of Wisconsin Legal Studies Research Paper No. 1461, 2019 by Keith Findley et al. This article, coauthored by four law professors, two physicians, and a physicist, demonstrates that there is very much a live controversy about the SBS/AHT hypothesis and maintains that, under traditional principles of Evidence law, physicians should not be permitted to …
New Approaches to Digital Evidence Acquisition and Analysis
Overview of NIJ research on new approaches to acquiring and analyzing digital media.
New Approaches to Digital Evidence Acquisition and AnalysisRead More