CASEY ANTHONY; LAW PROF. CALLS FOR SYSTEM TO TRACK AND REPORT THE ERRORS OF FORENSIC SCIENTISTS. HERE AND NOW. (NPR); HMMMM!

"Jonathan Koehler, Beatrice Kuhn professor of law at Northwestern University, told Here & Now‘s Robin Young, “Forensic errors are nothing new.”

In fact, he said forensic experts don’t have to be licensed and not all of the laboratories they work in are even accredited.

Koehler is calling for a system to track and report the errors of forensic scientists."


HERE AND NOW; NPR;

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"The long and complicated trial and acquittal of Casey Anthony in the murder of her 2-year-old daughter has raised a lot of questions," the August 4, 2011 Here and Now NPR broadcast begins, under the heading, "Why Flawed Evidence Makes It To Trial."

"For instance, during the trial, the prosecution claimed that Anthony had searched the term “chloroform” 84 times on her computer," the broadcast continues.

"But it turns out, the software was wrong, and there was only a single search for chloroform.

The software developer said he even told prosecutors about the initial error, but the questionable evidence was never retracted. How is it that such flawed information can make its way into a trial?

Jonathan Koehler, Beatrice Kuhn professor of law at Northwestern University, told Here & Now‘s Robin Young, “Forensic errors are nothing new.”

In fact, he said forensic experts don’t have to be licensed and not all of the laboratories they work in are even accredited.

Koehler is calling for a system to track and report the errors of forensic scientists.

“We need there to be a mechanism for testing experts on a regular basis to identify the error rates in the various forensic disciplines,” Koehler said.

Once the error rates are know, Koehler says they should be reported to juries, so that they can take that information into account when weighing the evidence."

The broadcast can be found at:

http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2011/08/04/casey-anthony-forensic


PUBLISHER'S NOTE: 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

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog; hlevy15@gmail.com;