North Carolina Office of Indigent Defense Services
// by Alec Rees
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
// by Sarah Olson
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.
// by Sarah Olson
This 2013 document traces the development of forensic DNA analysis and its use by the NC State Crime Lab. It attempts to identify what technologies were available at what time. Information about the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Crime Laboratory is not included.
// by Sarah Olson
U.S. Department of Justice, FBI Laboratory Division. Provides guidance and procedures for methods of collecting, preserving, packaging, and shipping evidence and describes the forensic examinations performed by the FBI’s Laboratory Division and Operational Technology Division.
// by Sarah Olson
Developed by the National Forensic Science Technology Center and is available for free download.
Crime Scene Investigation: A Guide for Law Enforcement (2013)Read More
// by Sarah Olson
2013 NIST handbook offers guidance for individuals involved in the collection, examination, tracking, packaging, storing and disposition of biological evidence
The Biological Evidence Preservation Handbook: Best Practices for Evidence HandlersRead More
// by Sarah Olson
U.S. Department of Justice protocol focusing on the immediate response of medical and other professionals in reference to medical treatment and evidence gathering from sexual assault or abuse victims. It addresses the role of advocates, law enforcement, prosecutors, and other responders in the medical forensic exam process.
National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic ExaminationsRead More
// by Sarah Olson
UNC School of Government blog post by Jeff Welty that explains the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2013 holding in Florida v. Harris. Harris holds that when a trained and certified drug dog alerts on a vehicle, that normally provides probable cause to search the car, even if there are no records regarding the dog’s performance in the field. …
Supreme Court: Alert by a Trained or Certified Drug Dog Normally Provides Probable CauseRead More
// by Sarah Olson
// by Sarah Olson
UNC School of Government blog post by Jessica Smith
Experts in Child Sex Cases: Reversible Error in a Recent CaseRead More
// by Sarah Olson
Article by William A. Tobin and Peter J. Blau that argues that existing studies that are typically presented in court as support for firearm/projectile comparisons are fatally flawed and thus are of no value for validation of the techniques used. The authors offer a solution that would allow a scientifically defensible opinion to be proffered …
// by Sarah Olson
On Nov. 29, 2012, the Oregon Supreme Court issued an important decision, which places the burden on the state to establish the reliability of the eyewitness identification and recognizes and requires courts to act in a manner consistent with the latest scientific research on eyewitness identification and memory. This opinion may be useful in NC …
// by Sarah Olson
UNC School of Government blog post by Jessica Smith
// by Sarah Olson
Examines the controversy concerning Shaken Baby Syndrome and how emerging medical research is prompting the legal system to re-examine SBS convictions. Click on the link and then click Download This Paper at the top of the page to read the full article.
Examining Shaken Baby Syndrome Convictions in Light of New Medical Scientific ResearchRead More
// by Sarah Olson
UNC School of Government blog post by Shea Denning that examines the status of dog sniffs under the Fourth Amendment as it applies to searches of individuals if a dog alerts to the person.