Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Attorney General Jeff Session's war on science/forensics: (Part 14): Commentary: Jessica Gabel Cino predicts 'Sessions assault on forensic science will lead to more convictions." Newsweek....".The bottom line from the last decade of forensic research: the criminal justice system has been using guesswork dressed up as science to send people to jail. What can the criminal justice system do about bad science? Forensic science should be a prophylactic that prevents wrongful convictions rather than causing them. The NCFS was the starting point: It embraced the need for more research, accurate testing, consistent standards, judicial acceptance and shifts in forensic laboratory culture that would protect innocent individuals from being convicted in the first place."


COMMENTARY: "Sessions’s Assault on Forensic Science Will Lead to More Unsafe Convictions," by Jessica Gabel Cino, published by Newsweek on April 20, 2017. (Jessica Gabel Cino is associate dean for academic affairs at the Georgia State College of Law.)


GIST: "The Trump administration’s assault on science continues in the early days of his presidency. Recently, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the dismantling of the National Commission on Forensic Science (NCFS)—a body dedicated to improving accuracy and reliability in forensic evidence used in criminal cases. Not only is this short-sighted but it short-circuits efforts to address issues involving forensic errors, wrongful convictions and crime lab misconduct. The practical effect of this action is not that states are going to pick up the mantle and bear the burden of creating forensic science standards. Instead, the ensuing stagnation will lock the forensic science community into a silo and allow problems to persist. Putting an end to NCFS ignores example after example of the need for such an entity.........The bottom line from the last decade of forensic research: the criminal justice system has been using guesswork dressed up as science to send people to jail. What can the criminal justice system do about bad science? Forensic science should be a prophylactic that prevents wrongful convictions rather than causing them. The NCFS was the starting point: It embraced the need for more research, accurate testing, consistent standards, judicial acceptance and shifts in forensic laboratory culture that would protect innocent individuals from being convicted in the first place. Forensic science needs to produce reliable results and it needs to be regulated. The fact that different labs performing the same analysis use different standards is not a sign of scientific freedom, it’s a sign of stress points in the criminal justice system. For a system wedded to an unwavering adherence to the need for finality in criminal cases (which makes it nearly impossible to appeal a bad conviction brought about by bad science), there is a shocking lack of consistency and uniformity. It is no wonder that forensic science has been a patchwork quilt of standards and results. For decades, the legal system has pressured forensic science to deliver results in the form of convictions. And we dress forensic results in a cloak of certainty and sell it to a jury. But the progress that has been made since the inception of NCFS underscores that a commitment to change can come from within and can embrace outside input. If forensic science is truly meant to be a science—to seek the truth—then we must accept that it never will reach the certainty that “pursuit of justice” would like to demand. Even with the inherent tension between law and science, NCFS was a sign that the two could work together. Unfortunately, the research and accomplishments that have been achieved in the last few years are in danger of being consumed by this new policy of willful blindness. That blindness will lead to more wrongful convictions. Evidence admissibility is largely dependent on implementing and enforcing comparable standards which should be achieved for the entire forensic process, from crime scene to courtroom. We needed a central body to connect those constituencies together and to oversee reforms in a system that remained fragmented and impervious to change for too long. Without an entity to enable forensic science to prioritize research and then streamline, simplify and accelerate forensic reform, I fear that advancements will languish and we will soon return to our old ways. Rather than lament the death of NCFS, however, I call upon universities and crime labs to partner together in forensic science reform. Reforming forensics is no small task. It will take cooperation from scientists, lawyers, judges and policymakers--but it can be done. As the Buddha said: “There are only two mistakes one can make on the road to truth: not going all the way, and not starting. We started with NCFS, so let’s avoid the mistake of not going all the way."

The entire commentary can be found at:

http://www.newsweek.com/sessionss-assault-forensic-science-will-lead-more-unsafe-convictions-585762

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy; Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog;