VIDEO NOW AVAILABLE AT THE FOLLOWING LINK:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrkYf3nlEn4
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RELEASE: 'Center for Integrity in Forensic science' headed 'The dark history and wrongful convictions of bite mark evidence. Published on February 20, 2023.
GIST: "Join us as we delve into the disturbing history of bite mark evidence and its role in wrongful convictions. From the Salem witch trials to modern-day cases, we explore how bite mark matching gained acceptance in the legal system despite its unreliability. We discuss the reasons why this flawed technique persists and the devastating consequences for those wrongly convicted. But there is hope - we also examine how we can move forward and fight for justice. Watch now to learn more and visit the Center for Integrity in Forensic Sciences at cifsjustice.org.
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NOTES: Visuals by: Justine Kanzler Voiced by: Joyce White Vance (CIFS Advisory Board Member) Source: VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL LAW VOL. 4 2016 NO. 1 THE SHIFTED PARADIGM: FORENSIC SCIENCE’S OVERDUE EVOLUTION FROM MAGIC TO LAW Facts presented needing citations: 1. Human skin is a terrible substrate for capturing information Page 60. 2. Once someone has been convicted based on bite mark matching or any other unreliable scientific evidence, it is very difficult to get a court to reconsider that person’s case. Page 101. 3. In some states, the precedent allowing bite mark evidence is based on a case where we now know the accused person was completely innocent. The bite mark evidence admitted in Stinson and Brooks used as precedent even though in both of these cases DNA exonerated the convicted. Pages 7-9.
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PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. 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;
SEE BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG, AT THE LINK BELOW: HL:
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985
FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
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FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions. They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!
Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;
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YET ANOTHER FINAL WORD:
David Hammond, one of Broadwater’s attorneys who sought his exoneration, told the Syracuse Post-Standard, “Sprinkle some junk science onto a faulty identification, and it’s the perfect recipe for a wrongful conviction.”
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