The government is now recycling employees who have been fired due to poor performance: Fired OSBI analyst hired to supervise program by state of Oklahoma A former OSBI lab analyst who was fired for poor performance has been hired to serve as administrator of a state program that certifies and tests devices designed to prevent…
read more »Tag: Problem with Police Forensic labs
The Disconnect Between Science and Crime Labs
Science is a very important part of criminal law, especially when it comes to DUI. In many cases, the bulk of the evidence lies in blood and breath test reports. To produce valid and accurate results, science has outlined specific methodologies and procedures that need to be followed and if these are violated, the results…
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High Error Rates in State Crime Labs Lead to False Convictions
One of the the problems I face when dealing with state crime labs is that the average judge or juror sees them as being actually infallible and wholly scientific. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The fact of the matter is that these crime labs are about as scientific as a tenth grade chemistry…
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And These are the People We Trust Our Forensics To?
More Reports of Criminal Behavior Call into Question the Integrity of Pennsylvania DUI Crime Labs A forensics technician and phlebotomist in a Pennsylvania DUI crime lab has admitted to stealing from DUI suspects: Lab Tech Accused Of Stealing Money From Suspects, Detective State Police: Woman Admitted To Taking More Than $800 BERKS COUNTY, Pa. —…
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Increasing DUI Penalties
In the wake of the Troy Davis execution, there has been increased scrutiny of the death penalty in America. Even death penalty supporters have been forced to stop and think after the execution of an innocent man. The sad fact is that our justice system is broken and the forensic system is even more fractured. …
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Causes of False Convictions: Faulty Forensic Science
Once of the main causes of false convictions is unreliable or faulty forensic science. Unfortunately, many times the so-called experts who testify on behalf of the prosecution are viewed as real scientists by judges and jurors who themselves often have no formal education in the hard sciences. Thus they are unable to detect the pseudo-science…
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Another DUI Testing Scandal: This time Houston
DUI testing scandals are nothing new nor are they even rare. From Central Pennsylvania to San Fransisco to Indiana to the Nation’s Capital, DUI testing scandals have effected tens of thousands of cases across the country. Lack of oversight, mishandling, cover-ups and under-qualified/over-worked technicians have become the norm rather than the exception. This time another…
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PA DUI Attorney to Present at the ACS National Meeting
My personal aim is to be the very best DUI attorney in Pennsylvania and in the United States. A big part of that is keeping myself on the cutting edge of legal and scientific knowledge to best defend the interests of my clients. As part of my extensive research and learning, I serve as an…
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Another Wrongful Conviction Overturned
Recently, a woman in Canada was freed from prison after serving 13 years after being wrongfully convicted of killing her two year old son. From the Innocence Blog: Canadian Woman Finally Cleared After 13 Years in Prison Posted: June 7, 2011 5:49 pm Tammy Marquardt walked out of an Ontario courtroom fully free for the…
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DUI Tests Full of Errors For Years
Overworked, under-trained staff with no meaningful oversight is a recipe for disaster in any organization, especially one as technical as a state forensics lab. The problem here is errors can lead to innocent people being convicted of DUI and drug offenses. They will face license suspensions and jail time just to say the least of…
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