See pp. 170-173 for the National Research Counsel’s assessment of the analysis of explosives evidence and fire debris
Resources
Forensic Science Assessments: A Quality and Gap Analysis – Fire Investigation
The American Association for the Advancement of Science produced this July 2017 report that assesses what aspects of fire investigation are well founded and science and where gaps exist in knowledge. The full report is available for free download. A “plain language” summary is also available for download.
Forensic Science Assessments: A Quality and Gap Analysis – Fire InvestigationRead More
United States v. Hebshie
754 F.Supp. 2d 89 (2010). This opinion by Judge Nancy Gertner is a must-read regarding standards of representation in arson cases. The opinion provides useful information on Daubert hearings, cause and origin testimony, burn patterns, canine evidence and laboratory analysis.
The Arson Research Project
This criminal justice research project has a mission of examining the reliability of evidence used in the investigation and prosecution of arson and identifying convictions obtained based on unreliable evidence.
Forensic Investigation Techniques for Inspecting Electrical Conductors Involved in Fire
2012 DOJ publication by Richard J. Roby, Ph.D. and Jamie McAllister, Ph.D. that looks at the physical characteristics of energized and non-energized wires subjected to various types of fire exposures.
Forensic Investigation Techniques for Inspecting Electrical Conductors Involved in FireRead 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
DNA Mixtures: A Forensic Science Explainer
NIST created this document to explain why DNA mixture interpretation can be so complex and to explain how likelihood ratios and probabilistic genotyping software can assist with interpreting complex mixtures.
ANSI/ASB Best Practice Recommendation 037: Guidelines for Opinions and Testimony in Forensic Toxicology
Amicus Brief in Commonwealth v. Carrillo
Addresses strict liability crime for drug sharers created by Massachusetts death by distribution statute and public health implications of drug induced homicide statutes. By MA Public Counsel Services and Health in Justice Action Lab, MA Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Filed in Jan. 2019.
Vital Statistics Reference Guidance, Number 2
Addresses the complexity of drug toxicity deaths and the challenging relationship between the existing diseases and the sequence in which diseases or injuries. Underscores the need for a thorough medical and death scene investigation.
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 …
American Bar Association Standards on DNA Evidence (2018)
Standards and best practices for the collection, preservation, and testing of DNA evidence and for its use at trial.
American Bar Association Standards on DNA Evidence (2018)Read More
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
Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer (GC/MS): In Scientific Evidence, Even ‘Gold Standard’ Techniques Have Limitations
by Joanna Gin and Edward Imwinkelreid. UC Davis Legal Studies Research Paper, available for free download. Like nuclear DNA testing, GC/MS analysis has important limitations. Courts should not assume it is a nearly infallible technique. When GC/MS is used in drug testing, the court must inquire as to the mode of analysis: full scan, selective …