North Carolina Office of Indigent Defense Services
// by Sarah Olson
Article that summarizes the findings of a group of scientists and practitioners who met to address issues with gunshot residue analysis and attempt to create guidelines for this type of analysis. This document references several studies that have been published regarding contamination of subjects and proper collection, testing, and reporting procedures.
Summary of the FBI Laboratory’s Gunshot Residue Symposium, May 31-June 3, 2005Read More
// by Sarah Olson
by Simon Cole, Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, Vol. 95, No. 3, 2005 – Comprehensive review of what is known about the potential error rate of latent print identification. Includes all known cases of fingerprint misattributions. Examines proficiency test data as well as the profession’s and courts’ efforts to minimize or dismiss fingerprint error. …
More than Zero: Accounting for Error in Latent Fingerprint IdentificationRead More
// by Sarah Olson
// by Sarah Olson
In May 2004, the FBI arrested Oregon lawyer Brandon Mayfield based on an erroneous fingerprint identification. FBI analysts incorrectly identified a fingerprint left inside a plastic bag related to the Madrid train bombing as matching Mr. Mayfield.
// by Sarah Olson
National Institute of Justice’s recommendations for how law enforcement and crime scene investigators should handle digital evidence. Evidence on cell phones or computers can be changed or destroyed if proper techniques are not used to forensically analyze the data. This guide may be used to cross examine law enforcement officers who did not follow the …
Forensic Examination of Digital Evidence: A Guide for Law EnforcementRead More
// by Sarah Olson
U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice. A guide designed to accompany the general crime scene guide. Provides step-by-step procedures for each phase of crime scene investigation. Provides more specific procedures than the general guide does for some topics.
Crime Scene Investigation: A Reference for Law Enforcement Training (2004)Read More
// by Sarah Olson
by W. Goldsmith and J. Plunkett, Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 2004 Jun; 25(2):89-100.
A biomechanical analysis of the causes of traumatic brain injury in infants and childrenRead More
// by Sarah Olson
by Shawna S. Mudd and Jeanne S. Findlay, J Pediatr Health Care. (2004). 18,123-129. Contact Sarah Rackley Olson about how to view the full text of this article.
The cutaneous manifestations and common mimickers of physical child abuseRead More
// by Sarah Olson
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration offers information about the effects of impairing substances.
// by Sarah Olson
// by Sarah Olson
2004 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) publication targeted to prosecutors. The first section details some of the major problems with prosecuting drug impaired driving cases, such as the lack of any clear correlation between blood drug concentrations and impairment for many drugs (p. 8).
// by Sarah Olson
by Frederic Whitehurst, 2004. This 2-part article provides a checklist of items to request in discovery from a forensic lab and explains the significance of each item. NACDL membership is required to access these articles.
Forensic Crime Labs: Scrutinizing Results, Audits and AccreditationRead More
// by Sarah Olson
// by Sarah Olson
by M. Olivia Titus, Amy L. Baxter, and Suzanne P. Starling in Pediatrics 111(2):e191. (2003). This article evaluates accidental burn injuries similar to those found in inflicted injury and discusses information needed to distinguish the causes.
// by Sarah Olson