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"Reformers have for years recommended that all forensic labs be independent from law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies' and this is a key reform promoted by The Justice Project (2008). But fixing these problems is only half the answer' because half of the wrongful convictions attributed to misleading forensic evidence involved deliberate forensic fraud' evidence tampering' and/or perjury.
From "The Elephant in the Crime Lab," by co-authored by Sheila Berry and Larry Ytuarte; Forensic Examiner; Spring, 2009;
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STORY: Ex-Inmate who insists on innocence may seek damages for imprisonment," by reporter Andrew Denny, published by The New York Law Journal on November 8, 2016.
GIST: "A man who was freed from prison last year after serving 27 years for a double homicide he says he didn't commit may seek damages from New York state, a Court of Claims judge ruled, rejecting the state's motion to dismiss the case. In 1989, Shabaka Shakur was convicted of the killings following an investigation that involved retired New York City Police Department Detective Louis Scarcella, whose investigative tactics in the 1980s and 1990s led the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office in 2013 to review the cases to which he contributed. Last year, Supreme Court Justice Desmond Green vacated Shakur's conviction based on newly-discovered evidence—specifically Scarcella's propensity to "embellish or fabricate"—and ordered a new trial (NYLJ, June 3, 2015), but found he did not meet the standard for actual innocence. The Brooklyn DA elected not to appeal the decision or retry the case. So far, seven convictions based on investigations involving Scarcella have been tossed out."
The entire story can be found at:
http://www.newyorklawjournal.com/home/id=1202771889876/ExInmate-Who-Insists-on-Innocence-May-Seek-Damages-for-Imprisonment?mcode=1202615069279&curindex=2
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/
