Criminal Justice
Related Stories
Dr. Cyril Wecht: The Benefits of Forensic Credentialing
Wecht, a spokesman for one of America's largest credentialing organizations, defends the company against claims that it's a diploma mill. He says the purpose of ACFEI is education and that merely having a certificate doesn't qualify a person to be a forensic expert on the witness stand.
April 17, 2012
Judge Harry T. Edwards: How Reliable is Forensic Evidence in Court?
It can vary, says Judge Harry T. Edwards, a primary author of a landmark 2009 National Academy of Sciences report on the state of forensics. And it's this variability that's a problem at trial: "In an adversarial system, your interest is in prevailing. So you're not looking to make it easier for the other side. You're not going to find scientific truth in the adversarial process."
April 17, 2012
No Forensic Background? No Problem
There are no national standards for forensic experts. This is how a journalism grad student became certified by the American College of Forensic Examiners International, a leading provider of forensic credentials.
April 17, 2012
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The Real CSI
How reliable is the science behind forensics? A FRONTLINE investigation finds serious flaws in some of the best-known tools of forensic science.
April 17, 2012
Can Unconscious Bias Undermine Fingerprint Analysis?
In 2004, cognitive neoroscientist Itiel Dror set out to examine whether the process of fingerprint analysis, long considered one of the most reliable forms of forensic science, can be biased by the knowledge examiners have when they attempt to find a match for prints from a crime scene. ...
April 16, 2012
NOPD Officer Sentenced in Post-Katrina Shooting
Today a judge sentenced former New Orleans police officer Ronald Mitchell to 20 months in prison for perjury and obstruction of justice related to the shooting of Danny Brumfield, who was killed outside the convention center where many evacuees gathered in the days after Hurricane Katrina.
April 11, 2012
California Governor Commutes Sentence in Shaken Baby Case
Shirley Ree Smith, who was convicted in 1997 of shaking her infant grandson to death, has always maintained her innocence.
April 6, 2012
Should Juvenile Killers Be Sentenced to Life Without Parole?
The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments in two cases today that challenge the constitutionality of sending 14-year-olds away for life after committing murder.
March 20, 2012
