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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; http://www.t-mlaw.com/blog/post/the-elephant-in-the-crime-lab/
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"A federal judge has awarded more than $2 million to a man wrongly
convicted based on evidence falsified by Annie Dookhan, the former state
chemist who created a multimillion-dollar crisis in the state’s
criminal justice system. It is the first case in which Dookhan has been
ordered to compensate any of the thousands of defendants whose cases she
tainted. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani determined that Leonardo Johnson,
53, of Dorchester, is entitled to compensatory and punitive damages for
the 15 months he served in prison, because Dookhan gave “false testimony
to convict an innocent man.’’
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/c
