PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "Australia’s peak body for forensic science is reviewing practices inside DNA laboratories across the country after a Queensland inquiry uncovered disturbing failures that may have let killers and rapists go free. A closed-door review, led by the National Institute of Forensic Science and under way since October, is aiming for “national consistency” across DNA labs. In a statement, a spokesman from the Attorney-General’s Department said all 123 recommendations from Queensland’s DNA inquiry were being reviewed at a national level. “This work will facilitate national consistency across identified issues and corrective actions noted in the commission’s final report,” he said. Findings from the review will be handed to managers of 19 forensic labs across Australia and New Zealand but may not be made public. The Australian understands the review is focused on how quality problems are investigated by labs."
NETWORKED KNOWLEDGE: MEDIA REPORT: Lydia Lynch: The Australian - Country’s DNA labs under the microscope after state probe; 21 August 2023; (Networked Knowledge is a web site devoted to publishing information relating to miscarriages of justice, and defects in the legal system in South Australia." It's vast resources can be accessed at: http://netk.net.au/
GIST: "Australia’s peak body for forensic science is reviewing practices inside DNA laboratories across the country after a Queensland inquiry uncovered disturbing failures that may have let killers and rapists go free.
A closed-door review, led by the National Institute of Forensic Science and under way since October, is aiming for “national consistency” across DNA labs.
In a statement, a spokesman from the Attorney-General’s Department said all 123 recommendations from Queensland’s DNA inquiry were being reviewed at a national level. “This work will facilitate national consistency across identified issues and corrective actions noted in the commission’s final report,” he said.
Findings from the review will be handed to managers of 19 forensic labs across Australia and New Zealand but may not be made public. The Australian understands the review is focused on how quality problems are investigated by labs.
Led by retired judge Walter Sofronoff, Queensland’s royal commission-style inquiry found the way the government-run lab there handled quality problems fell well below best practice, with scientists “unwilling or unable” to raise their concerns.
“Some scientists are fearful of retribution or reprisal action if issues are raised,” the final report read. “Some scientists experienced that issues were raised but nothing was done to address the issue, or it was regarded as a nuisance by the management team.” Mr Sofronoff recommended the National Institute of Forensic Science develop a new framework for investigating quality issues in labs across the country.
Queensland’s lab mishandled evidence for at least a decade, with evidence now being re- examined in 30,000 cases of murder, rape and other serious crimes.
The National Association of Testing Authorities visited and signed off on Queensland’s forensics laboratory at least twice when scientists had stopped testing crime scene samples with low levels of DNA.
Forensic biologist Kirsty Wright in February said crucial forensic evidence was being missed in other Australian states “without question” because of poor national quality standards.
Dr Wright, who uncovered problems in Queensland’s lab as part of The Australian’s investigative podcast series Shandee’s Story, was “absolutely certain” things were slipping through the cracks in other jurisdictions because of weak quality standards. She urged a new national standard for forensics labs.
During the $6m public inquiry into DNA testing, Mr Sofronoff discovered Queensland’s lab was accredited to a broad standard that did not “consider the integrity of the forensic science aspects of the laboratory”. An NIFS spokesman said a subcommittee has been set up to review the Queensland findings."
The entire media report can be read at:
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/120008354894645705/47049136857587929
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.”
https://deadline.com/2021/11/alice-sebold-lucky-rape-conviction-overturned-anthony-broadwater-1234880143/
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