A New Jersey crime lab technician, Kamalkant Shah, was suspended this last week after discovering that he had written results of a test, before the test was completed. PINAC reports, “Shah was found to be taking inordinate amount of time… Continue Reading →

The D.C. crime lab was suspended from completing DNA analyses last April amid concerns of integrity and independence of the lab. A national accreditation group found the analysts at the lab were, “not competent and were using inadequate procedures.” The lab… Continue Reading →

“High-sensitivity” DNA tests, also referred to as “low-copy DNA tests,” are being used in a growing number of criminal prosecutions. These tests take a sample of just a few human cells and amplify the samples for testing. Because the original… Continue Reading →

‘High-sensitivity’ DNA analysis, which amplifies extremely faint, sometimes second hand samples and can be made up of as little as 16 human cells, is being called into question in New York courts. The FBI refuses to use high-sensitivity DNA analysis,… Continue Reading →

The Justice Department will begin conducting a review to see if experts are overstating their confidence in different areas of forensic sciences. The concerns stem from previous problems with experts overstating the reliability of microscopic hair comparison analysis. The Justice… Continue Reading →

Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates announced that the Justice Department will go further than reviewing forensic testimony in only hair analysis cases. The expanded class of cases will cover pattern-based evidence such as tracing the impressions that guns leave on… Continue Reading →

A forensic expert, Marina Stajic, was laid off from the Forensic Toxicology Laboratory at the Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) last year. Stajic claims in her lawsuit that she was fired because she serves on the state’s Commission on Forensic… Continue Reading →

A Virginia Beach judge ruled yesterday to allow forensic testing on evidence collected in conjunction with a 1990 rape. The defendant, Darnell Phillips, was originally convicted in 1991 with the help of microscopic hair comparison analysis. Recently, it was found… Continue Reading →

West Virginia University College of Law is hosting a symposium on Flawed Forensics & Innocence on March 3-4, 2016.  Scholars, journalists, and practitioners will be discussing the challenges of using forensic evidence in the courtroom; Radley Balko of the Washington Post… Continue Reading →

The Texas Forensic Science Commission is recommending a ban on bite-mark analysis in criminal cases due to the subjectivity and lack of reliability of this type of analysis. While the Commission cannot outright ban all bite-mark evidence, it would encourage judges… Continue Reading →