Fall 2020 law review article by John Lentini addressing how to defend someone accused of arson.
Featured Articles
Cosmetic Trace Evidence
A tissue containing a faint stain was submitted to determine if evidence of a make-up stain was present. Although the tissue had been previously analyzed by another laboratory (to no avail) and only a single, barely stained area of the tissue remained, Microtrace, LLC was able to use light and electron microscopy to characterize the …
(Mis)use of scientific measurements in forensic science
Article by Itiel Dror and Nicholas Scurich on the insufficient attention or weight that has been given to inconclusive evidence and inconclusive decisions in forensic science error rate studies.
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The Law and Science of Eyewitness Evidence
Aug. 2020 article by Brandon Garrett and Thomas Albright that examines how the science of eyewitness identifications has informed the law. The article looks state-by-state at legal precedent, legislative action, and police reforms related to eyewitness evidence. Available for free download.
UNC School of Government Blog: Capacity, Commitment, and COVID-19
April 13, 2020 blog post by John Rubin
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Behavioral Science Briefs
Board-certified forensic psychologists Dr. Daniel J. Neller and Dr. Maureen L. Reardon regularly review the latest contents of hundreds of scholarly journals in the behavioral sciences; analyze studies of greatest benefit to trial attorneys; and present key findings in a concise and simple format. 2020Volume 1Volume 2Volume 3Volume 4 2021Volume 1Volume 2Volume 3
Summary: The Little Rascals Daycare Case
PBS Frontline (1997). Summary of the Little Rascal Daycare Case.
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)
In Glowing Colors: Seeing the Spread of Drug Particles in a Forensic Lab
Discusses the paper below and shows black-light videos that help illustrate the risk of cross contamination in a forensic drug lab. E. Sisco, M.E. Staymates, A. Burns. An easy to implement approach for laboratories to visualize particle spread during the handling and analysis of drug evidence. Forensic Chemistry. Published online March 11, 2020. DOI: 10.1016/j.forc.2020.100232
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Defending Death by Distribution Cases Blog Post
UNC School of Government Criminal Law Blog Post discussing actual and proximate causation, intervening causes, multiple drug cases, pre-existing conditions, and joint users by Phil Dixon. Published in Jan. 2020.
Defending Death by Distribution Cases Checklist
by Cynthia Hernandez & Taleed El-Sabawi, JD, PhD This checklist has been adapted from the “Drug-Induced Homicide Defense Toolkit” by Beety, et al., and the University of North Carolina School of Government blog post, “Defending Death by Distribution Cases”, by Phil Dixon. This checklist is meant to help criminal defense attorneys identify possible defenses to …
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.
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