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Full-Text Articles in Law

The Costs And Benefits Of Forensics, Brandon L. Garrett Jan 2020

The Costs And Benefits Of Forensics, Brandon L. Garrett

Faculty Scholarship

Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously wrote that states can be laboratories for experimentation in law and policy. Disappointingly, however, the actual laboratories that states and local governments run are not a home for experimentation. We do not have adequate information about either the costs or the benefits of forensic testing or allocation of resources. Increased spending and expansion of crime laboratories has perversely accompanied growing backlogs. Poor quality control has resulted in a series of audits and even closures of crime laboratories. In response to these problems, however, some laboratories and some entire states have developed new approaches toward …


Scandal, Fraud, And The Reform Of Forensic Science: The Case Of Fingerprint Analysis, Simon A. Cole Dec 2016

Scandal, Fraud, And The Reform Of Forensic Science: The Case Of Fingerprint Analysis, Simon A. Cole

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.


Strengths And Limitations Of Forensic Science: What Dna Exonerations Have Taught Us And Where To Go From Here, Vanessa Meterko Dec 2016

Strengths And Limitations Of Forensic Science: What Dna Exonerations Have Taught Us And Where To Go From Here, Vanessa Meterko

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.


An Uncivil Action: Criminalizating Daubert In Procedure And Practice To Avoid Wrongful Convictions, Jessica G. Cino Dec 2016

An Uncivil Action: Criminalizating Daubert In Procedure And Practice To Avoid Wrongful Convictions, Jessica G. Cino

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.


Building The Infrastructure For "Justice Through Science": The Texas Model, Sandra Guerra Thompson, Nicole Bremner Cásarez Dec 2016

Building The Infrastructure For "Justice Through Science": The Texas Model, Sandra Guerra Thompson, Nicole Bremner Cásarez

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.


Book Review: Digital Crime And Forensic Science In Cyberspace, Gary C. Kessler Mar 2016

Book Review: Digital Crime And Forensic Science In Cyberspace, Gary C. Kessler

Gary C. Kessler

This document is Dr. Kessler's review of Digital Crime and Forensic Science in Cyberspace, by P. Kanellis, E. Kiountouzis, N. Kolokotronis, and D. Martakos. Idea Group Publishing, 2006. ISBN: 1-59140-873-3.


Forensics And Fallibility: Comparing The Views Of Lawyers And Jurors, Brandon L. Garrett, Gregory Mitchell Jan 2016

Forensics And Fallibility: Comparing The Views Of Lawyers And Jurors, Brandon L. Garrett, Gregory Mitchell

Faculty Scholarship

Forensic evidence plays an increasingly prominent role in criminal practice, leading some to worry that depictions in popular media might make jurors over-reliant on forensics — a so-called CSI effect. There is little empirical evidence of such a CSI effect among jury-eligible laypersons; any such influence also depends upon a case proceeding to a trial. As the Supreme Court has put it: “criminal justice today is for the most part a system of pleas, not a system of trials.” However, a CSI effect could be more consequential if it affects how criminal lawyers assess forensic evidence when they negotiate pleas …


Are Mobile Device Examinations Practiced Like 'Forensics'?, Gary Kessler Jan 2015

Are Mobile Device Examinations Practiced Like 'Forensics'?, Gary Kessler

Publications

"Mobile device forensics is sometimes disparaged as not really being ‘forensics.’ This paper discusses the relationship between digital forensics and other forensic sciences, and the relationship of mobile device forensics to the broader field of digital forensics. It specifically addresses the question of whether mobile device forensics processes – and practices – rise to the level of suitable forensics quality."


The Implementation Of Judicial Policy In Crime Laboratories : An Examination Of The Impact Of Melendez-Diaz V. Massachusetts, Catherine L. Bonventre Jan 2015

The Implementation Of Judicial Policy In Crime Laboratories : An Examination Of The Impact Of Melendez-Diaz V. Massachusetts, Catherine L. Bonventre

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts (2009), the United States Supreme Court held that the Sixth Amendment right to confront adverse witnesses includes the right to confront forensic analysts who produce affidavits certifying the results of forensic examinations used against defendants at trial. The decision thus invalidated the practice of substituting forensic laboratory reports for live testimony in criminal trials. Melendez-Diaz was a divided decision in which four dissenting Justices predicted onerous practical consequences for the practice of forensic science in the United States. Through a web-based survey and semi-structured interviews, this dissertation explored the practical impact of the decision on crime …


Putting The Microscope On Crime Labs: The Effects Of Evidence Complexity And Laboratory Type On Jurors' Perceptions Of Forensic Evidence, Miliaikeala S.J. Heen Aug 2014

Putting The Microscope On Crime Labs: The Effects Of Evidence Complexity And Laboratory Type On Jurors' Perceptions Of Forensic Evidence, Miliaikeala S.J. Heen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

An experiment was conducted to test the effects of evidence complexity and laboratory type on jurors' perceptions of forensic evidence. The study specifically focused on three types of labs: public labs, private labs, and "corporate labs." Public labs are managed by a federal, state, or local law enforcement agency, where evidence is usually analyzed internally at an agency. Private labs are those that have been formed as private businesses to provide services to federal, state, and local crime labs with overflow work. Corporate labs are managed by major retail corporations, and primarily service the needs of their store businesses, but …


The Impact Of Daubert On Forensic Science, Henry F. Fradella, Lauren O'Neill, Adam Fogarty Apr 2012

The Impact Of Daubert On Forensic Science, Henry F. Fradella, Lauren O'Neill, Adam Fogarty

Pepperdine Law Review

No abstract provided.


Fred Zain, The Csi Effect, And A Philosophical Idea Of Justice: Using West Virginia As A Model For Change, Kathleen Keough Griebel Apr 2012

Fred Zain, The Csi Effect, And A Philosophical Idea Of Justice: Using West Virginia As A Model For Change, Kathleen Keough Griebel

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.


Another "Straightforward Application": The Impact Of Melendez-Diaz On Forensic Testing And Expert Testimony In Controlled Substance Cases, John Wait Jan 2010

Another "Straightforward Application": The Impact Of Melendez-Diaz On Forensic Testing And Expert Testimony In Controlled Substance Cases, John Wait

Campbell Law Review

Part I of this Article will analyze Melendez-Diaz with a focus on extracting indicators within the opinion that lend guidance as to how the opinion could be extended to Bullcoming and to expert testimony based on forensic reports in controlled substance cases. Part II will provide an overview of the tests utilized by the SBI to determine the nature and quantity, if any, of suspected controlled substances with the goal of ascertaining who, under Melendez-Diaz, should be subject to confrontation. Part III will provide a prediction of the outcome in Bullcoming. Finally, Part IV will review the pending cases from …


Invalid Forensic Science Testimony And Wrongful Convictions, Brandon L. Garrett, Peter J. Neufeld Jan 2009

Invalid Forensic Science Testimony And Wrongful Convictions, Brandon L. Garrett, Peter J. Neufeld

Faculty Scholarship

This is the first study to explore the forensic science testimony by prosecution experts in the trials of innocent persons, all convicted of serious crimes, who were later exonerated by post-conviction DNA testing. Trial transcripts were sought for all 156 exonerees identified as having trial testimony by forensic analysts, of which 137 were located and reviewed. These trials most commonly included testimony concerning serological analysis and microscopic hair comparison, but some included bite mark, shoe print, soil, fiber, and fingerprint comparisons, and several included DNA testing. This study found that in the bulk of these trials of innocent defendants - …


Bad Nature, Bad Nurture, And Testimony Regarding Maoa And Slc6a4 Genotyping In Murder Trials, Nita A. Farahany, William Bernet, Cindy L. Vnencak-Jones, Stephen A. Montgomery Jan 2007

Bad Nature, Bad Nurture, And Testimony Regarding Maoa And Slc6a4 Genotyping In Murder Trials, Nita A. Farahany, William Bernet, Cindy L. Vnencak-Jones, Stephen A. Montgomery

Faculty Scholarship

Recent research—in which subjects were studied longitudinally from childhood until adulthood—has started to clarify how a child’s environment and genetic makeup interact to create a violent adolescent or adult. For example, male subjects who were born with a particular allele of the monoamine oxidase A gene and also were maltreated as children had a much greater likelihood of manifesting violent antisocial behavior as adolescents and adults. Also, individuals who were born with particular alleles of the serotonin transporter gene and also experienced multiple stressful life events were more likely to manifest serious depression and suicidality. This research raises the question …


Book Review: Digital Crime And Forensic Science In Cyberspace, Gary C. Kessler Jan 2006

Book Review: Digital Crime And Forensic Science In Cyberspace, Gary C. Kessler

Publications

This document is Dr. Kessler's review of Digital Crime and Forensic Science in Cyberspace, by P. Kanellis, E. Kiountouzis, N. Kolokotronis, and D. Martakos. Idea Group Publishing, 2006. ISBN: 1-59140-873-3.


Forensic Interviews Of Children: The Components Of Scientific Validity And Legal Admissibility, Nancy E. Walker Jan 2002

Forensic Interviews Of Children: The Components Of Scientific Validity And Legal Admissibility, Nancy E. Walker

Law and Contemporary Problems

The problems associated with assessments of children's reports of victimization in criminal proceedings came to national attention during the 1980s and 1990s in a series of highly publicized trials of daycare staff. Walker describes information that professionals need to know if they are to conduct valid interview of children in forensic contexts.


Good Enough For Government Work: The Constitutional Duty To Preserve Forensic Interviews Of Child Victims, Lucy S. Mcgough Jan 2002

Good Enough For Government Work: The Constitutional Duty To Preserve Forensic Interviews Of Child Victims, Lucy S. Mcgough

Law and Contemporary Problems

McGough proceeds with the confidence on the premise that a forensic interview of a child by a member of the prosecutorial team offers many opportunities for compromising the reliability of the child's remembered account. A vast volume of research data now exists that documents the conclusion that the forensic interviewing of children is a very delicate, sophisticated, and high-risk enterprise.