Forensic Science Under Siege: The Challenges of Forensic Laboratories and the Medico-Legal Investigation System

Front cover......Page 1
FORENSIC SCIENCE UNDER SIEGE......Page 4
Copyright page......Page 5
Table of contents......Page 8
FOREWORD......Page 12
PREFACE......Page 14
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......Page 24
CHAPTER 1: FORENSIC SCIENCE: CELEBRATED AND VILIFIED......Page 26
WHAT IS FORENSIC SCIENCE, ANYWAY?......Page 29
NATURAL SCIENCE VS. APPLIED SCIENCE......Page 30
WITHSTANDING THE TEST OF TIME......Page 32
THE SCIENCE WARS......Page 33
HOW FORENSIC SCIENCE IS CELEBRATED AND VILIFIED......Page 35
IS FORENSIC SCIENCE BROKEN? EXPERTS HAVE THEIR SAY......Page 41
THE NEEDS OF THE FORENSIC SCIENCE COMMUNITY......Page 46
REFERENCES......Page 48
ENDNOTES......Page 49
THE STAKEHOLDERS......Page 50
COLLABORATION IN ACTION: THE COURTROOM WORKGROUP......Page 57
THE OVERLOOKED STAKEHOLDER?......Page 58
ON COMMON GROUND: THE COURTROOM TRIAL......Page 60
REFERENCES......Page 61
RECOMMENDED READING......Page 62
CHAPTER 3: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE U. S. FORENSIC LABORATORY SYSTEM......Page 64
THE EVIDENCE: GARBAGE IN, GARBAGE OUT......Page 68
REFERENCES......Page 73
RECOMMENDED READING......Page 74
CHAPTER 4: THE U. S. FORENSIC LABORATORY SYSTEM UNDER SIEGE......Page 76
THE DIRTY DOZEN: COMMON CHARGES LEVIED AGAINST LABS......Page 80
THE TALES OF TWO LABS UNDER THE MICROSCOPE......Page 122
REFERENCES......Page 131
ENDNOTES......Page 132
CHAPTER 5: THE REALITY OF THE U. S. FORENSIC LABORATORY SYSTEM......Page 134
CRIME LAB FUNDING......Page 146
HUMAN RESOURCE ISSUES......Page 149
NEEDS ASSESSMENTS OF FORENSIC LABORATORIES......Page 152
REFERENCES......Page 160
RECOMMENDED READING......Page 161
CHAPTER 6: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE U. S. MEDICO-LEGAL DEATH INVESTIGATION SYSTEM......Page 162
ROLE CALL: THE CAST OF CHARACTERS IN MEDICO-LEGAL DEATH INVESTIGATION......Page 164
PLAYING BY THE (REAL) RULES OF MEDICO-LEGAL DEATH INVESTIGATION......Page 168
REFERENCES......Page 170
RECOMMENDED READING......Page 171
A “HUMAN” SCIENCE?......Page 172
THE PROBLEM OF THE “COWBOY” EXAMINER......Page 174
THE EVERYDAY CHALLENGES......Page 177
REFERENCES......Page 182
THE HISTORY OF ME AND CORONER SYSTEMS: THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME, OR SECOND VERSE, SAME AS THE FIRST......Page 184
NEW ATTENTION TO OLD ISSUES......Page 189
A PATCHWORK OF JURISDICTIONS......Page 191
ALL INVESTIGATORS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL: MAKING A CASE FOR AND AGAINST THE CORONER......Page 193
COMPARING MEDICAL EXAMINER AND CORONER SYSTEMS......Page 197
THE VALUE OF FORENSIC PATHOLOGISTS AND THE CHALLENGES THEY FACE......Page 198
INFECTIOUS DISEASE SURVEILLANCE, BIOTERRORISM, MASS DISASTERS, AND HOMELAND SECURITY ISSUES......Page 206
FEDERAL SUPPORT OF MEDICO-LEGAL OFFICES AND AGENCIES......Page 210
THE QUALITY OF MEDICO-LEGAL DEATH INVESTIGATION IN THE UNITED STATES......Page 215
QUALITY OF SERVICE AND ACCREDITATION OF MEDICO-LEGAL OFFICES......Page 219
THE INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS OF MEDICO-LEGAL OFFICES......Page 222
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH ISSUES......Page 227
EDUCATION AND TRAINING......Page 228
CONTINUING EDUCATION......Page 229
ASSESSING FORENSIC PATHOLOGY PROGRAMS REVEALS VITAL DEMOGRAPHIC DATA......Page 231
RESEARCH ISSUES......Page 235
FUNDING OF THE U.S. MEDICO-LEGAL DEATH INVESTIGATION SYSTEM......Page 239
REFERENCES......Page 240
RECOMMENDED READING......Page 242
ENDNOTE......Page 244
CHAPTER 9: THE COURTS: BATTLEFIELD FOR THE TRUTH AND A CHANGING PARADIGM......Page 246
THE PARADIGM SHIFT......Page 247
THE SHIFTY PARADIGM......Page 251
SCIENCE AND THE LAW: CLASH OF THE TITANS......Page 255
RECOMMENDED READING......Page 258
DO WE UNDERSTAND SCIENCE?......Page 260
WHAT IS SCIENCE?......Page 264
EXPECTATIONS OF SCIENCE......Page 266
COMPARING SCIENCE AND THE LAW......Page 270
THE AGE OF JUNK SCIENCE......Page 271
PSEUDO-SCIENCE: WILL WE KNOW IT WHEN WE SEE IT?......Page 273
THE DEFINITION OF PSEUDO-SCIENCE......Page 277
THE SCIENCES MOST UNDER SIEGE: THE PATTERN IDENTIFICATION SCIENCES......Page 278
WHERE’S THE SCIENCE? THE IDENTIFICATION COMMUNITY ANSWERS BACK......Page 298
FINGERPRINTS AND CASE LAW......Page 300
THE NEEDS OF THE IDENTIFICATION SCIENCES COMMUNITY......Page 307
REFERENCES......Page 310
RECOMMENDED READING......Page 312
ENDNOTE......Page 314
CHAPTER 11: DNA: CONVICTING THE GUILTY, EXONERATING THE INNOCENT......Page 316
DNA TYPING......Page 319
TRIAL ISSUES RELATED TO DNA......Page 328
TRENDS IN THE ADMISSIBILITY OF DNA EVIDENCE......Page 332
LABORATORY QUALITY-RELATED ISSUES AND DNA......Page 337
ERRORS AND CONTAMINATION......Page 339
DNA AND WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS......Page 342
THE POWER OF DNA: AN ANALYSIS OF NATIONWIDE FORENSIC DNA CAPABILITIES AND CAPACITY......Page 349
REFERENCES......Page 362
RECOMMENDED READING......Page 363
CHAPTER 12: THE EVIDENCE TRILOGY AND FORENSIC SCIENCE......Page 366
IN THE BEGINNING, THERE WAS FRYE......Page 367
THE LEGACY OF FRYE......Page 369
FRYE VERSUS DAUBERT......Page 370
POST-DAUBERT CHALLENGES TO FORENSIC SCIENCE......Page 371
THE SUPREME COURT’S INTEREST IN SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE......Page 372
THE IMPACT OF THE EVIDENCE TRILOGY......Page 373
GETTING TO THE HEART OF EACH DECISION......Page 374
THE SCIENCE WARS AFTER DAUBERT: EVALUATING EVIDENCE......Page 377
THE VARIABLE INTERPRETATIONS OF DAUBERT......Page 380
THE BOTTOM LINE......Page 381
LEGAL PERCEPTIONS OF SCIENCE AND EXPERT KNOWLEDGE......Page 383
THE SUPREME COURT’S CRIMINAL “DAUBERT” CASES......Page 384
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?......Page 387
REFERENCES......Page 388
RECOMMENDED READING......Page 390
ENDNOTES......Page 391
JUDGES AS GATEKEEPERS OF FORENSIC EVIDENCE......Page 392
ADMISSIBILITY AND FORENSIC EVIDENCE: KEEPING THE FAITH......Page 397
ALL JUDGES ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL......Page 398
EXPERT WITNESSES: A JUDGE’S FRIEND OR FOE?......Page 406
ATTORNEYS PREPARE FOR BATTLE......Page 410
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR DNA CASES......Page 417
THE JURY AND THE “CSI EFFECT”......Page 423
THE LEGACY OF THE “CSI EFFECT”......Page 433
REFERENCES......Page 449
RECOMMENDED READING......Page 451
CHAPTER 14: THE CHAMPIONS OF FORENSIC SCIENCE: ADVOCACY AND FUNDING EFFORTS......Page 452
THE BOTTOM LINE: SHOW ME THE MONEY......Page 468
RECOMMENDED READING......Page 469
CHAPTER 15: THE ROAD TO REDEMPTION: AN AGENDA FOR REFORM......Page 470
A FEW WORDS ABOUT ETHICS AND PROFESSIONALISM......Page 495
MODELS FOR IMPROVEMENT......Page 502
HAS ANYONE ASKED THE FORENSIC COMMUNITY?......Page 512
A MODEL MEDICAL EXAMINER SYSTEM......Page 514
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF THE MEDICO-LEGAL DEATH INVESTIGATION SYSTEM......Page 519
REFERENCES......Page 526
ENDNOTES......Page 528
CHAPTER 16: NEW INITIATIVES AND THE FUTURE OF FORENSIC SCIENCE......Page 530
THE AMERICAN JUDICATURE SOCIETY......Page 531
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES......Page 540
BUILDING NEW BRIDGES......Page 546
REFERENCE......Page 548
EPILOGUE: LOOKING OUT FOR DECEDENTS AND DEFENDANTS: TAKING A CUE FROM HEALTH CARE......Page 550
ABOUT THE AUTHOR......Page 554
INDEX......Page 556