Investigative series compiled by Pro Publica, in partnership investigation with NPR and Frontline that looks at the nation’s 2,300 coroner and medical examiner offices and reports on problems identified with the system.
Resources
State v. Bailey
This 2014 NY decision grants a new trial to the Defendant. The decision describes how new medical research casts doubts on the Shaken Baby Syndrome hypothesis and shows that short falls (which this case involved) can cause death.
Recognizing When a Child’s Injury or Illness Is Caused by Abuse
US DOJ guide to conducting an investigation of child injuries.
Recognizing When a Child’s Injury or Illness Is Caused by AbuseRead More
Deborah Tuerkheimer, Flawed Convictions: “Shaken Baby Syndrome” and the Inertia of Injustice
Stephen M. Stahl, Stahl’s Essential Psychopharmacology: Prescriber’s Guide (5th ed.)
Marilyn T. Miller, Crime Scene Investigation Laboratory Manual
Automatic comparison and evaluation of impressions left by a firearm on fired cartridge cases
2014 article by F. Riva and C. Champod in the Journal of Forensic Sciences. Addresses new solutions to decrease the subjective component of firearm/spent cartridge case comparisons.
Cynthia Kuhn, Ph.D., et al. Buzzed: The Straight Facts About the Most Used and Abused Drugs from Alcohol to Ecstasy (4th ed)
DOJ Memorandum – Eyewitness Identification: Procedures for Conducting Photo Arrays
2017 memo from the US DOJ which endorses the 2014 NAS Report, Identifying the Culprit: Assessing Eyewitness ldentification, stating: “The heads of the Department’s law enforcement components should review these procedures and, to the extent necessary, update their own internal policies to ensure that they are consistent with the procedures described in this document. In …
DOJ Memorandum – Eyewitness Identification: Procedures for Conducting Photo ArraysRead More
Therapeutic and toxic blood concentrations of nearly 1,000 drugs and other xenobiotics
This 2014 article lists the therapeutic, toxic, and fatal blood drug concentration levels for many controlled and non-controlled substances.
Therapeutic and toxic blood concentrations of nearly 1,000 drugs and other xenobioticsRead More
Session Law 2013-338
Extends the time for local forensic science labs (other than the North Carolina State Crime Laboratory) to become accredited from July 1, 2013 to July 1, 2016.
Supreme Court Upholds Taking DNA Upon Arrest
UNC School of Government blog post by Jeff Welty on the Supreme Court case Maryland v. King which allows the taking of DNA from arrestees.
North Carolina Defender Manual: Chapter 2, Capacity to Proceed
John Rubin & Alyson Grine, NORTH CAROLINA DEFENDER MANUAL, VOL. 1 PRETRIAL (2d ed. 2013). Discusses in detail the standards for capacity to proceed, how attorneys can recognize signs of impairment, the ethical concerns with questioning capacity, and the potential benefits and harms of raising an incapacity question.
North Carolina Defender Manual: Chapter 2, Capacity to ProceedRead More
The Limitations and Admissibility of Using Historical Cellular Site Data to Track the Location of a Cellular Phone
by Aaron Blank, XVIII RICH. J.L. & TECH. 3 (2011). Discusses how a cellular network works, how a cell phone tracks its location, limitations on cell site data as a tracking method, admissibility of cell site data, and constitutional implications for seizure of cell site data. Provides practical suggestions concerning admission and exclusion of this …
May 6, 2013 DOJ Letter
Letter from the DOJ regarding the results of a US DOJ and FBI review of lab reports and testimony of FBI lab examiners in the Willie Manning case finds that testimony stating that a specific gun fired a specific bullet “to the exclusion of all other guns in the world” is not scientifically supported.