New York Times Article
National Academy of Sciences Project
This month, the National Academy of Sciences is scheduled to release a report critiquing many routinely used forensic methods. Some of the critiqued methods include fingerprint matching, firearm identification, and soil and fiber analysis. A 2005 vote in Congress prompted this report, and the findings are likely to impact local, state, and federal law enforcement. The report has found that many forensic methods are based on “shoddy scientific practices” and calls for the establishment of a federal agency to regulate and standardize forensic science. When released, this report will likely be of considerable interest, since we will soon be discussing forensic applications of chemistry.
3 comments:
I read this article this weekend and was going to post it the the LL class conference, but you beat me to it. It will be interesting to read the full report. Our discussion will focus on spectroscopic techniques well grounded in the field of chemistry. Other techniques such as fingerprinting do not have applications in other fields are are more suspect. Several assumptions must be made when considering the validity of fingerprints. It will be an interesting debate.
Here's another interesting article on the subject:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bal-ed.crime09feb08,0,909778.story
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1146503/DNA-left-crime-scene-used-create-picture-criminals-FACE-say-scientists.html
An interesting innovation.
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