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Copyright 2020, Public Defender, Ninth Judicial Circuit. The material found on this web site is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered to be legal advice and is not guaranteed to be complete or up to date. Use of this web site is not intended to create, nor constitute, an attorney-client relationship. Readers should not rely upon or act upon this information without seeking professional counsel.
A Case Study of Two Arson Exonerations
/in Attorney, Chemistry News, News /by StevePlease join the Public Defender’s Office for the Ninth Circuit on Friday, August 28th from 2:30-5 PM for an Arson CLE. John Lentini and Candice Bridge will be discussing the cases of Gavitt and Awe. In both cases, the testimony of fire investigators played a central role. Attendees will learn about fire investigation and laboratory analysis in the context of a criminal arson case. If you would like to attend, please email Angie Schmitt at aschmitt@circuit9.org. There is no cost for this CLE.
DNA Database Hacked
/in Attorney, Biology News, Crime Lab News, Digital Forensics News, News /by SteveGenealogy databases have become popular tools for law enforcement. GED Match is one of those databases. It allows users to upload DNA profiles from various testing services, such as 23andMe. On July 19, hackers accessed this database and allowed police to search profiles that were not previously accessible.
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A DNA Mix-Up Involving a Washing Machine Kept a Man in Jail for 3 Years
/in Attorney, Biology News, News /by Forensic CompetencyRead more.
FREE Webinar: Pediatric Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners: Roles, Responsibilities and the New National Pediatric SAFE Protocol – July 15 at 2 PM
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Winter Park Police Start Using Body Cameras for 1st Time
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IBM Quits Facial Recognition, Joins Call for Police Reforms
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In Florida, A Haze Builds Around Pot Law Enforcement as Technology Catches Up to Policy
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Trump Administration Targets Your ‘Warrant-Proof’ Encrypted Messages
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Morgan & Morgan Firm Joins State Attorney, Public Defender to Launch Community Bail Fund
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Yogurt Shop Controversy: Privacy vs. Science
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Ninth Circuit Public Defender Presents Our Spring Schedule
/in Attorney, Biology News, News /by Forensic CompetencyCognitive Biases in the Peer Review of Bullet and Cartridge Case Comparison Casework: A Field Study
/in Attorney, News, Patterned Evidence News /by Forensic CompetencyAbstract
Objective
Forensic judgments and their peer review are often the result of human assessment and are thus subjective and prone to bias. This study examined whether bias affects forensic peer review.
Hypotheses
We hypothesized that the probability of disagreement between two forensic examiners about the proposed conclusion would be higher with “blind” peer review (reviewer saw only the first examiner’s comparison photos) than with “non-blind” peer review (reviewer also saw the first examiner’s interpretation and proposed conclusion). We also hypothesized that examiners with a higher perceived professional status would have a larger effect on the reported conclusion than examiner with a lower status.
Method
We acquired data during a non-blind and a blind peer review procedure in a naturalistic, covert study with eight examiners (3-26 years of experience). We acquired 97 conclusions of bullet and cartridge case comparisons in the blind and 471 in the non-blind peer review procedure.
Results
The odds of disagreement between examiners about the evidential strength of a comparison were approximately five times larger (95%-CI [3.06, 8.50]) in the blind than in the non-blind procedure, with disagreement about 12.5% and 42.3% of the proposed conclusions, respectively. Also, the odds that their proposed conclusion was reported as the final conclusion were approximately 2.5 higher for the higher-status examiners than for lower-status examiners.
Conclusions
Our results support both the hypothesis that bias occurs during non-blind forensic peer review and the hypothesis that higher-status examiners determine the outcome of a discussion more than lower-status examiners. We conclude that blind peer review may reduce the probability of bias and that status effects have an impact on the peer reviewing process.
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An ER Doctor Was Charged with Abusing His Baby. But 15 Medical Experts Say There’s No Proof.
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How the Police Use Facial Recognition, and Where It Falls Short
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Webinar: I Wasn’t There: Blocking the Admissibility and Limiting the Weight of Historical Cell Site “Expert” Testimony
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Facial Recognition Programs Lead to Arrest
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13 States Have Never Exonerated a Prisoner Based on DNA Evidence. Here’s Why.
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Bad Medicine: Critics Say Powerful Pediatrician Too Quick to Diagnose Child Abuse, Traumatizing Families
/in Medical Trauma, News /by Forensic CompetencyRead more.
Why Are Cops Around the World Using This Outlandish Mind-Reading Tool?
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