[Steve]

Might be of interest to CSI fans. From this morning's New York Times:

The world is flat. The Sun revolves around the Earth. Yes, today's certainty is tomorrow's oops, a realization that is particularly alarming when applied to criminal investigation techniques, as it is in "Forensics on Trial," Wednesday night's episode of "Nova" on PBS.

The program examines several cases in which time-honored techniques led investigators to incorrect conclusions. [more]

 

[SayWhat?]

Forensics mistakes are fairly common and there are a lot of people in prison for things they didn't do because of them.

Then there's the whole Massachusetts lab scandal.

 

[Steve]

Then there's the whole Massachusetts lab scandal.

Wow. What a mess! I can only imagine the millions it cost to prosecute and try those cases, only to let a lot of really guilty criminals back on to the streets.

 

[SayWhat?]

Do a web search for arson junk science and read 'til your eyes bleed.

 

[phrelin]

Hmmmm. In San Francisco there has been an ongoing prosecutor's nightmare with the latest headline: Mistrial declared for woman at center of SFPD crime lab scandal. You'll see a list of links to earlier stories mostly about the drug lab problem, but this 2010 one summarizes the result for the lab:

The manager of the San Francisco Police Department's backlogged DNA laboratory has resigned. Assistant Chief Jeff Godown says civilian manager Matt Gabriel's DNA lab position will remain unfilled.

City officials are considering privatization of the DNA lab, which is part of the embattled police crime lab shaken by a scandal in its now shuttered drug testing operation. A former lab technician allegedly took cocaine evidence.

San Francisco Controller Ben Rosenfield has recommended permanently closing down the crime lab and outsourcing the testing conducted there. Rosenfield says the city would save $15 million by outsourcing crime lab analysis.

And still there are defense attorneys not challenging evidence and jurors who think somebody who looks like Ted Danson stands behind the impeccable evidence.

 

[SayWhat?]

Detroit's lab was also closed. Note the date in the article.

Error-prone Detroit crime lab shut down
Updated 9/25/2008

DETROIT (AP) - The Detroit police crime lab was shut down by the city's new mayor and police chief after an outside audit found errors in some evidence used to prosecute cases involving murder and other crimes, officials said Thursday.

Wrongful convictions are a possibility, according to the audit, conducted by the Michigan State Police. Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy also noted that some criminals may have gone uncharged because of the lab's shortcomings.

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-09-25-crime-lab_N.htm

 

[djlong]

I certainly wouldn't outrsource this. It's like with utilities now. They used to be publicly owned (or at least strongly regulated). Now a lot of them hike rates in order to please shareholders. When the price oil goes up but that has nothing to do with how you get your electricity and the company claims increased energy prices?

You wait. Outsource DNA testing and it'll soon be too expensive to do as much as should be done after a couple of years. Yes, *now* a company can lowball the bid. It won't always be that way.

Do you really want your evidence being handled by an organization who's first loyalty is to Wall Street?

 

[Drucifer]

These miscues and abuses are why the defense is giving samples for their own testing -- only issue, defendants are often poor and can't afford the testing.