STORY: "FBI notifies crime labs of errors used in DNA match calculations since 1999," by reporter Spencer S. Hsu, published by The Washington Post on May 29, 2015; (Spencer S. Hsu is an investigative reporter, two-time Pulitzer finalist and national Emmy award nominee.)
GIST: "The
FBI has notified crime labs across the country that it has discovered
errors in data used by forensic scientists in thousands of cases to
calculate the chances that DNA found at a crime scene matches a
particular person, several people familiar with the issue said. The
bureau has said it believes the errors, which extend to 1999, are
unlikely to result in dramatic changes that would affect cases. It has
submitted the research findings to support that conclusion for
publication in the July issue of the Journal of Forensic Sciences, the
officials said. But crime labs and attorneys said they want to
know more about the problem before conceding it would not make much
difference in any given case. “The public puts so much faith in
DNA testing that it makes it especially important to make those the best
estimates possible,” said Wright State University professor of
statistics Daniel R. Krane, an expert whose work has been cited by
defense attorneys. “There is no excuse for a systematic error to many
thousands of calculations in such a context.” Krane, who
identified errors 10 years ago in the DNA profiles the FBI analyzed to
generate the population statistics data, called the consequences of the
disclosure appalling, saying the data have been used in tens of
thousands or hundreds of thousands of cases worldwide in the past
15 years. He said when he flagged the problems a decade ago, the FBI
downplayed his findings.........The
disclosure comes as some private researchers and lawyers in recent
years questioned whether errors in the FBI’s national database of
13 million DNA profiles may have led judges and juries to give undue
weight to DNA matches, long considered the “gold standard” in forensic
science. They have called on the government to open the database for private research."
The entire story can be found at:
PUBLISHER'S NOTE:
Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following this case.
