FORENSIC EVIDENCE CASE STUDY SERIES OF ABOLITIONIST

Forensic Evidence Case Study Series Of Abolitionist

Evidence that, because of vague national standards, isnвЂ™t completely valid or verifiable, can still be used to sway a jury.ThatвЂ™s one reason why prosecutors have been resistant to genuine change, Sinha argued.Two reports that focused on major reforms and upheavals of the forensic science system, the NAS and PCAST, were both largely undermined and discredited by prosecutors, as a way to вЂњexert influence over the forensic science landscape,вЂќ said Sinha.вЂњThe latest effort, riddled with scientific inaccuracies, mischaracterizations and wholly false claims, appeared to be no more than a last-ditch effort by the Department of Justice under former President Donald Trump to discredit the PCAST Report before judges give it greater consideration in admissibility determinations,вЂќ said Sinha.вЂњThese reactions to and attempts to undermine the PCAST and NAS Reports are among the most prominent collective efforts by prosecutors to exert influence over the forensic science landscape but are by no means the only ones.вЂќ Unlike other forms of science, which thrive on peer review, rigorous controls for error and continued research, forensic science primarily exists to close a criminal caseUnlike other forms of science, which thrive on peer review, rigorous controls for error and continued research, forensic science primarily exists to close a criminal case, putting more emphasis on timeliness rather than scientific research.While there is forensic science research that resembles other standards of science, such feedback is less common and less widespread than in other fields, according to the report.вЂњOnce a conviction is obtained, there is little incentive for prosecutors to encourage further research that might result in findings that undermine the forensic evidence that has proven persuasive to judges and juries,вЂќ said the report.вЂњInstead, forensic scientists often receive positive feedback for their work, regardless of the accuracy of their findings.вЂќReforms arising from past studies have failed to make a significant impact on the justice community, claimed Sinha. Case Studies Involving Transference from Crime Scene to Forensic Evidence.Most experts now agree that much of the forensic evidence presented in modern courtrooms has been вЂњjunk dressed up as scientific analysisвЂќ and would greatly benefit from a series of abolitionist-framed reforms, writes Maneka Sinha, an assistant professor of law at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, the author of the paper.ItвЂ™s also subject to racial bias, Sinha argued.According to the paper, 24 percent of wrongful convictions were due to faulty forensic evidence, and 54 percent of those convictions involved Black or Latinx defendants.This means that communities which are already more at risk of being involved in the criminal justice system are put at an even worse disadvantage by the forensic science community, argues the paper, entitled вЂњRadically Reimagining Forensic Evidence.вЂќвЂњReal change requires scaling back and divesting from carceral institutions that create harm and replacing them with institutions designed to value Black, Brown, and other marginalized lives.вЂќBut, Sinha notes, forensic science is so deeply resistant to change that it is вЂњвЂbeyond вЂreformвЂ™ in the sense that tweaks around the edges cannot fix it.вЂќвЂњRather, to root out the problems that prevent the forensic science system from performing in the ways that it purports toвЂ”as a system that provides reliable, objective evidence that can aid in the pursuit of justiceвЂ”systemic overhaul is needed,вЂќ Sinha writes.Even though extensive research has proved that many reforms are needed for forensic evidence to be consistently reliable in court, such reforms provide a вЂњveneer of reformвЂќ and little action has actually been done, the report argues.вЂњIronically, the extent to which lay people without scientific training tend to trust forensic science evidence and mistakenly believe that it brings neutrality, fairness, accuracy, and certainty to the criminal process has allowed forensic evidence to do just the opposite,вЂќ Sinha writes.Because forensic evidence is most influential in the courtroom, the science itself closely aligns with the prosecution side of the criminal justice system, said Sinha. The victim told police that she bit the assailants finger when he tried to muffle her screams during the Abstract Forensic soil science represents a newly-developed discipline of soil.

Bill Moyers on Justice By TCR Staff | December 1, 2017Moyers was honored as TCR's 2018 'Justice Media Trailblazer.' Watch the video of his remarks at the John Jay College dinner here. Links here TCR AT A GLANCE Forensic methods enable carceral harm by cloaking surveillance, policing and prosecution with the allegedly neutral and objective aura of вЂscience.вЂ™вЂњNot only do forensic methods enable carceral harm they also launder and legitimize it by cloaking surveillance, policing and prosecution with the allegedly neutral and objective aura of вЂscience.вЂ™вЂќSinha applied what she called an вЂњabolitionist lensвЂќ to the future of forensic science, citing that much like the movement to defund police, the forensic science system also needs to be completely rebuilt and restructured in order to function adequately.вЂњForensics might still be used to identify those who cause harm, so long as such methods are not used to funnel people into the carceral system and so long as communities are empowered to determine how, and for what purposes, forensic method may be used in achieving accountability,вЂќ said Sinha.The paper is forthcoming in Volume 73 of the Alabama Law Review.Read more: Why We Need a National Forensic Science AgencyEmily Riley is a TCR Justice Reporting intern.WATCH VIDEO OF 2019 JUSTICE MEDIA TRAILBLAZERS. Peer review, adequate testing, and reliability are all lacking when considering forensic evidence.вЂњCommonly used forensic techniques can be made admissible by wrapping them up in the trappings of scienceвЂ”as laid out by relevant admissibility standardsвЂ”even when what lies beneath has hardly been established as reliable,вЂќ wrote Sinha.Because forensic evidence is portrayed as strict science in the courtroom, faulty or invalid evidence can cause an innocent person to spend time within the criminal justice system that they wouldnвЂ™t have to otherwise -вЂ” leading to significant harm to their mental health, finances, as well as job, family life or housing status.

Viewpoints MinnesotaвЂ™s вЂShadow PrisonвЂ™ for Sex Offenders By Derek W. Solomon, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Office of Justice Programs. вЂњUntil we gain a firmer grasp on what lies behind these stubborn and pernicious disparities, we are doomed to see them repeated,вЂќ writes Amy L. Du Bois grants to fund research into the disproportional impact of the justice system on Black Americans. Solomon | 11 hours agoAfter a three-year hiatus, the feds are reviving W.E.B.

It's the latest indication of widespread defiance, as COVID becomes the leading cause of death among U.S. Justice and Health Resignations, Refusals Mount as Cops Resist Vaccine Mandates By TCR Staff | 11 hours agoNearly 20 percent of Massachusetts State Police employees remain unvaccinated and now face termination as dozens of their fellow officers resign. Organized Crime COVID Spurs вЂScourgeвЂ™ of Organized Crime: Report By Nancy Bilyeau | 11 hours agoThe majority of people worldwide live in countries with high levels of organized crime, a crisis made worse by COVID-19, according to an index released Tuesday by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. But a burgeoning movement in Minnesota, which has the nationвЂ™s highest per capita rate of civil commitment, is challenging that.