Prison Cell

Justin McShane Defends High Profile Pennsylvania Homicide

A lot of people don’t realize how mistake-prone the legal system really is.  I have been defending Pennsylvania DUI and criminal cases for many years and can tell you that there are many mistakes made.  People are mistakenly identified, falsely charged and wrongfully convicted.  If you don’t believe me take a look at the innocenceproject.org…

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Innocent Man Imprisoned for 15 years is Freed

Innocent Man Imprisoned for 15 years is Freed

Another example of how  a corrupt and over-zealous prosecutor can ruin lives: Jabbar Collins, wrongfully convicted of murdering rabbi 15 years ago, won’t be retried: DA’s office The Brooklyn district attorney’s office won’t retry a man wrongfully convicted of murdering a rabbi 15 years ago – canceling a hearing into misconduct allegations against a top prosecutor….

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Faulty Machines Lead to 400 DUI Convictions in D.C.

Faulty Machines Lead to 400 DUI Convictions in D.C.

Just because someone blows a high number, doesn’t mean they are guilty of DUI.  These breath machines are quirky and if not calibrated properly (a very common problem) they can yield artificially high measurements.  They are not specific or selective for exclusively drinking alcohol or ETOH.  Look what happened in our nation’s capital: 400 drunken-driving…

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Government-Funded Study Calls for Overhaul of Nation’s Crime Labs

Government-Funded Study Calls for Overhaul of Nation’s Crime Labs

Here is an article about the famous National Academy of Sciences study. I thought I should post it as a follow up to my post about the crime labs in San Francisco. Government-Funded Study Calls for Overhaul of Nation’s Crime Labs Forensic science has helped send thousands of suspected murderers, rapists and other alleged criminals…

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They Don’t Do Background Checks?!

They Don’t Do Background Checks?!

Pretty much every large employer does background checks, right?  Maybe not on low level staff but definitely  on supervisors, especially those whose jobs effect the lives and liberty of thousands of people, right? You would only hope so. Another scandal has rocked crime labs in San Francisco and is directly related to DUI convictions there: Problems…

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Dude, I just got convicted by a breath test machine that was state-of-the-art in 1984

Dude, I just got convicted by a breath test machine that was state-of-the-art in 1984

I frequently talk to people about evidentiary breath testing.  I explain the weaknesses of one infamous and silly device called the Intoxilyzer 5000.  This is the breath test machine used by the Harrisburg Police Department and other surrounding police departments. After I explained a lot of the shortcomings it seems that about 9 out of…

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Do the Breath Machines Always Flag Acetone and Diabetics?

Do the Breath Machines Always Flag Acetone and Diabetics?

It is a national problem to be sure.  It is an endemic and systemic problem.  It is a problem that is pervasive and well-known within the scientific community.  Yet, it is condoned. In his latest blog post, Bob Keefer, a fellow member of the National College for DUI Defense, Inc and a true trailblazer in…

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