As we've discussed before, there are some serious issues with forensic science. In 2009, the National Academy of Sciences reported that most forensic disciplines are not backed up by meaningful science. This includes many common techniques, including bite mark...
Month: August 2018
American Bar Assn issues guidelines on ending debtor’s prisons
Over 30 years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that people who cannot afford their court fees or fines should never be locked up for their inability to pay. Yet across the country, nearly half a million people sit in jail awaiting trial -- often simply because they...
How can we know how accurate DNA testing devices really are?
The basic science behind DNA testing is sound enough. Each individual has DNA that varies as much as one person varies from another. With the right technology, we should be able to compare a DNA sample found at a crime scene with one taken from a suspect.That is, we...
Why should sentences after trials be longer than pled sentences?
In the criminal justice world, there is something we refer to as the "trial penalty." It is a penalty, in the form of a harsher sentence, for anyone who demands a trial and is then found guilty. In almost every case, defendants convicted at trial are sentenced to far...