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Crime Lab Report - New Book Calls For Expert Witnesses To Work Directly For Judges

Forensic science does not prove guilt or innocence. It never has and it never will. The next...

The Technical Leader - Unique Challenges For People In A Unique Position

When the FBI first conceived of DNA Technical Leaders as a requirement for CODIS eligibility, it...

The Drug Chemistry White Box Study - An Interview With Jeremy Triplett

A fascinating development has emerged in the forensic testing of controlled substances. A "white...

Drug Threat Is 'Unprecedented' According To Forensic Experts

Today, the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors issued a an urgent public alert regarding...

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John M. Collins is an author, executive coach, and leadership consultant specializing in high-stakes, high-impact occupations that are technically, intellectually, and/or ethically demanding. An... Read More »

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Ethics Complaint Brought Against NY Forensic Science Commissioners

Ethics Complaint Brought Against NY Forensic Science Commissioners

Jul 09 2015 | comment(s)

Keeping the Gate is the first to announce that an anonymous complaint addressed to the New York Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) has been made against famed O.J. Simpson defense attorneys Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld, who are the cofounders of the Innocence Project at Yeshiva University in Manhattan. 
Standards Needed For Post-Conviction Review Of Forensic Evidence

Standards Needed For Post-Conviction Review Of Forensic Evidence

Apr 19 2015 | comment(s)

So what methods and professional standards are applied to the review of scientific evidence long after the original work was completed?

Very few.

This morning's Washington Post article titled FBI overstated forensic hair matches in nearly all trials before 2000 doesn't answer the question. Instead, it simply cites the Innocence Project and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers as the sources of data indicating that FBI experts "overstated" the significance of hair comparisons on a wide scale.
Opinions are why 'forensic science' is science

Opinions are why 'forensic science' is science

Mar 12 2015 | comment(s)

Sometimes science is the only witness to a crime.

Fortunately, the application of scientific evidence in criminal proceedings has grown in proportion to the availability of cutting-edge methods and technologies that can produce answers to critical questions related to guilt or innocence.

Scientific evidence, of course, is a good thing, provided that our courts do their due diligence to ensure that the testimony of expert witnesses and the observations, data, and interpretations upon which they are based are reasonably valid.
The Law has Failed, Not Forensic Science

The Law has Failed, Not Forensic Science

Feb 28 2015 | comment(s)


It’s quite revealing that Karen Kafadar and Anne-Marie Mazza (LiveScience Op-Ed on February 24, 2015, titled "Using Faulty Forensic Science, Courts Fail the Innocent") demand more research in forensic science while ignoring one of the most significant studies on forensic science and erroneous convictions ever conducted.