Podcast appearances and mentions of chris fabricant

Forensic science expert Chris Fabricant joins Miami Law Innocence Clinic director Craig Trocino discussing an unjust legal system. Recorded January 8, 2025.

Episode 40 Debunking Courtroom Pseudoscience: A Conversation With the Innocence Project's Chris Fabricant It's a sense of outrage that gets him out of bed every morning, says M. Chris Fabricant, Director of Strategic Litigation at the Innocence Project. Approximately 2.3 million people are incarcerated at any given time in the United States. Estimates put the number of wrongfully convicted at up to 5%, meaning tens of thousands of innocent people are behind bars for crimes they did not commit but were convicted of, often based on pseudoscience. Chris, the author of Junk Science in the American Criminal Justice System, joins host Matt Adams to explain the history and evolution of forensic science. Emerging as a “field” in the latter half of the 20th century, forensic science was often developed without employing the scientific method. Bite marks and blood spatter have since been accepted as “evidence” by the courts and the media. The field also has underpinnings in systemic racial, social and economic justice issues that continue to impact convictions today. Chris and Matt scientifically debunk certain elements of the field and share with listeners how they can support the critical mission of the Innocence Project.

Think all forensic evidence is foolproof? You'd be surprised. In our latest bonus episode of PRETEND, we're taking a deep dive into the murky world of forensic science with M. Chris Fabricant from the Innocence Project. We're talking about how some methods, like bite mark analysis and cadaver dogs, might not be as reliable as you'd think. It's a thought-provoking look at the challenges of separating solid science from shaky beliefs in our legal system.  Junk Science and the American Criminal Justice System by M. Chris Fabricant: https://www.amazon.com/Science-American-Criminal-Justice-System/dp/1636140300 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In "The Grave Detector," we delve into the enigmatic practice of using dowsing rods with a focus on the work of Dr. Arpard Vass, a forensic anthropologist renowned for his innovative methods in locating unmarked graves and human remains. The episode explores the traditional and modern uses of dowsing rods, often associated with finding water, treasures, and possibly ghosts. But most alarming of all, dowsing rods play a controversial role in police investigations and legal proceedings.  M. Chris Fabricant, Junk Science - https://a.co/d/cu4tn9m Michael Hadsell, Peace River K9 Search and Rescue (PRSAR) - https://www.prsar.org/ Dr. Arpad Vass- http://forensicrecoveryservices.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

M. Chris Fabricant at the Innocence Project on his book Junk Science and the American Criminal Justice System.

This week, Hannah and Sam are just back from the New England Crime Bake, where crime-fiction authors gather, along with murder consultants and the like — don't miss people like Elly Griffiths, Deborah Crombie (the new one was "A Killing of Innocents"), and Chris Fabricant, who calls into question the way prosecutors use evidence in "Junk Science." Then we move into Hannah's love for "The Unmaking of June Farrow," by Adrienne Young, which has strong "Time Traveler's Wife" vibes, with time travel, romance, and mystery. Don't worry: It's not like "The Girl on the Train." Sam isn't quite as enamored with the new Paul Auster book, "Baumgartner," and is mildly troubled by the fact he's read three books this year, now, that feature 70-year-old men having sex. Sam says it's like "Wonder Boys" without any weed (Auster's book about a man whose sons and wife have died is "Book of Illusions," FYI). On the other hand, Hannah also loves "Down Here We Come Up," Sara Johnson Allen's debut novel, and not just because Sara lives in Ipswich. You can tell, in a good way, that Sara worked on the book for 15 years, a story of con artists and heart. Unfortunately, Sam follows with a couple books he just couldn't finish. Meh. Lessons learned. Not for him. Luckily, Hannah rescues the vibe with "Hotel Nantucket," her Elin Hilderbrand dive in preparation for our big event (it's not much like "Hotel New Hampshire," though), and Sam does like the new John Prine book (don't know who John Prine is? Ho boy, you're in luck). We're all over the map this week, folks, but next week we're doing a "gift-giving" thing, so stay tuned. 

Guest host Ian Punnett and Chris Fabricant of the Innocence Project explore his efforts to disprove shoddy scientific work that's used to wrongfully convict people of crimes they didn't commit, how his organization has got innocent people released from prison, and how true crime podcasts have helped craft stories of people wrongly convicted of crimes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

M. Chris Fabricant is the Director of Strategic Litigation for the Innocence Project. His new book is Junk Science and the American Criminal Justice System. Plus, a Senate without Mitt. And the UAW strikes for wages and trash cans. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by the Director of Strategic Litigation for the Innocence Project, M. Chris Fabricant. They talk about his new book, "Junk Science and the American Criminal Justice System," including how forensic pseudoscience perpetuates a racist system resulting in wrongful convictions.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4530061/advertisement

The perception of certain types of trial evidence as cutting-edge, foolproof, and reminiscent of Hollywood can inadvertently sway juries into assuming the guilt of countless individuals. Techniques such as bite marks, blood splatter analysis, ballistics evidence, and others appear to present irrefutable indications of involvement in criminal activities. However, concealed within this seemingly conclusive cache of evidence lies a substantial amount of what is known as junk science. This is why Chris Fabricant, the director of strategic litigation at the Innocence Project, wrote his latest book, “Junk Science and the American Criminal Justice System.”

On previous episodes, Hunter spoke with Chris Fabricant and Daniel Medwed to discuss various aspects of the innocence movement. With Chris, they discussed the type of junk science that contributes to wrongful convictions. With Daniel, the discussed the unnecessary legal processes and hurdles that stand in the way of getting people out of prison once they are there. Today, Hunter sat down with another lawyer, author, and leader in the innocence movement, Justin Brooks, to discuss the many other things that contribute to sending people wrongfully to prison. As the founder and director of the California Innocence Project, Justin has seen it all, and today, he is here to share his experiences with you so you can understand how you might go to prison even though you're innocent.     Guests: Justin Brooks, Founder and Director of the California Innocence Project     Resources: Buy Justin's Book https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520386839/you-might-go-to-prison-even-though-youre-innocent John Stoll's Case https://californiainnocenceproject.org/read-their-stories/john-stoll/ California Innocence Project https://californiainnocenceproject.org/   Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patron www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN  

Innocence Project attorney and criminal justice advocate M. Chris Fabricant takes part in the latest episode of the DMPL Podcast. Fabricant is the author of Junk Science and the American Criminal Justice System, a book that highlights the flaws and outright fabrications inherent in forensic sciences and how they put innocent people not only behind bars, but on death row. Fabricant talks with host Aaron Gernes ahead of his visit to the Central Library on Saturday, April 29. The program will start at 12:30 PM. You can also watch the podcast on YouTube. Show Notes Author Spotlight: M. Chris Fabricant at the Central Library (Saturday, April 29, 12:30 PM) Junk Science and the American Criminal Justice System at the library "What If the Worst Crime Never Happened?" - The New Republic piece mentioned in the podcast featuring Michael West and Steven Hayne

Many of the forensic sciences featured in shows like the ‘Forensic Files' have been debunked and are now considered to be ‘Junk Science'... but that doesn't mean that the people convicted under them are suddenly free. The Innocence Project's Chris Fabricant is a nationally acclaimed author and expert on the use of forensic science. He and our executive producer Laurence Colletti sit down to discuss “Junk Science” and how it sent many innocent people to prison for crimes they didn't commit.  Chris Fabricant is the author of ‘Junk Science and the American Criminal Justice System'.

Many of the forensic sciences featured in shows like the ‘Forensic Files' have been debunked and are now considered to be ‘Junk Science'... but that doesn't mean that the people convicted under them are suddenly free. The Innocence Project's Chris Fabricant is a nationally acclaimed author and expert on the use of forensic science. He and our executive producer Laurence Colletti sit down to discuss “Junk Science” and how it sent many innocent people to prison for crimes they didn't commit.  Chris Fabricant is the author of ‘Junk Science and the American Criminal Justice System'.

(12-26-2022) In 2012, the Innocence Project began searching for prisoners convicted by junk science, and three men, each convicted of capital murder, became M. Chris Fabricant's clients. Junk Science and the American Criminal Justice Systemchronicles the fights to overturn their wrongful convictions and to end the use of the "science" that destroyed their lives. Weaving together courtroom battles from Mississippi to Texas to New York City and beyond, Fabricant takes the reader on a journey into the heart of a broken, racist system of justice and the role forensic science plays in maintaining the status quo. Join us when, Innocence Project attorney M. Chris Fabricant presents an insider's journey into the heart of a broken, racist system of justice and the role junk science plays in maintaining the status quo, on this installment on Leonard Lopate at Large

On June 7, 1988, joggers discovered the body of 35 year old Robert Mejia on a running trail in the woods behind his apartment complex in Pontiac, MI. Mejia had been stabbed to death. Primarily due to the junk science of bite mark evidence, Gilbert Poole was convicted of first-degree murder, and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.  With 20 years of expertise in criminal justice, Chris Fabricant leads the Innocence Project's Strategic Litigation Department as the Joseph Flom Special Counsel and Director of Strategic Litigation. His knowledge of forensic sciences drives his work's focus on the intersection of science, law reform and social justice.  Chris learned about Gilbert's case when he and Marla Mitchell-Cichon, Gilbert's attorney, discussed the bite mark junk science that sent him to prison. Then, at the 2022 Innocence Network Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, Chris listened to Gilbert speak about his case and experience. To learn more about the junk science of bite mark evidence: https://lavaforgood.com/podcast/145-wrongful-conviction-junk-science-bite-mark-evidence/ http://www.akashicbooks.com/catalog/junk-science/ To get involved, visit: https://www.cooley.edu/alumni/help-our-students?hsCtaTracking=4ff403ba-26dd-4fdf-80fe-1990814d3858%7C959d4c89-aa90-400a-a2a7-6c2bc608119f  This episode is part of a special series in our Wrongful Conviction podcast feed of 15 episodes focused on individual cases of wrongful incarceration, guest hosted by formerly incarcerated returning citizens and leading criminal justice advocates, award-winning journalists and progressive influencers. Wrongful Conviction is a production of Lava for Good Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No one will ever know how many innocent people have been sent to prison because of junk science and flawed forensics. In this episode, we hear from Innocence Project attorney M. Chris Fabricant about how America's broken and racist criminal justice system often relies on bogus scientific evidence for convictions. Chris is the author of the new book, “Junk Science and the American Criminal Justice System.” Best-selling writer John Grisham calls it an “intriguing and beautifully crafted book that …illustrates how wrongful convictions occur.”We explore the urgent need to fix the system and improve the quality of evidence presented in courtrooms. Independent crime labs are among the solutions that we discuss.“Jurors go into court with the expectation that there will be scientific evidence available, and that this evidence will be conclusive. This is just not the reality at all,” Chris tells us.We learn that forensic “experts” call themselves scientists but the current system lacks safeguards that keep science objective. Worse, this very questionable discipline has been corrupting the American justice system since at least the 1970s.Chris Fabricant is the director of strategic litigation for the Innocence Project— a remarkable legal organization that works to free prisoners jailed for crimes they did not commit. Over three decades, the Innocence Project has freed more than 300 unjustly convicted prisoners. And more than 40% of those cases involved the misuse of forensic evidence.In this episode, we hear about cases of people wrongly convicted, many of them on death row. The interview begins with the remarkable and tragic case of Eddie Lee Howard, who spent 26 years in prison insisting that he was innocent. He was finally freed early last year after his murder conviction was overturned after a years-long legal defense by The Innocence Project.Recommendation: Richard and Jim both read and recommend “Land: How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World”, by Simon Winchester. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Spectacle, forensic sciences. Shows like CSI or Forensic Files make us believe that fingerprints, bite marks or tool marks can close the case. But in reality, aside from DNA, none of it is legit. In fact, it's been publicly called out by the National Academy of Sciences for lacking scientific merit but regardless, it's still used in criminal cases around the country – leading to misleading testimony and worse, wrongful convictions. Featuring interviews with The Intercept's Jordan Smith and Chris Fabricant of The Innocence Project. A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts to binge all episodes now or listen weekly wherever you get your podcasts. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visitmegaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The promise and perils of direct democracy are at the heart of the debate over voter propositions and ballot initiatives. They have emerged as one way that citizens in more than two dozen U.S. states can vote directly on policy and bring issues they care about to their fellow voters.This episode is inspired by the recent podcast series, "When The People Decide", from The McCourtney Institute for Democracy. The show's producer, writer and host, Jenna Spinelle, tells the stories of some remarkable people who have organized initiative campaigns across the country. We speak with her about the history of ballot measures, including California's Prop 13 in 1978, and more recent efforts to expand Medicaid.Ballot initiatives are "a very powerful tool that citizens have, particularly when there is broad support for change to an existing policy or law", Jenna tells us. Over the past four decades in California and elsewhere the political establishment has been frequently shaken by the results.In this episode we hear about the story of Desmond Meade, the voting rights activist who led a winning ballot initiative to change Florida's constitution to give people like him — with past felony convictions — the right to vote. Desmond is Executive Director of The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, which led the campaign that resulted in America's largest expansion of voting rights since the civil rights era. We also speak about Katie Fahey, the democracy activist who led the successful grassroots effort to ban partisan gerrymandering in Michigan. At "Voters Not Politicians", she organized thousands of volunteers who collected over 425,000 voter signatures for Proposal 2, a ballot initiative amending the state constitution to create an independent redistricting commission. We also spoke at length with Katie in episode #262.Recommendation: Jim is reading "Junk Science and the American Criminal Justice System" by M. Chris Fabricant. In their regular conversation at the end of the show, Jim and Richard discuss their skepticism of proposed federal ballot initiatives. Our podcasts are part of the Democracy Group podcasts network. "How Do We Fix It?" is a production of DaviesContent. We are supporting members of Bridge Alliance Education Fund. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did bite mark analysis become one of the most misunderstood forms of forensics evidence in our criminal justice system? M. Chris Fabricant of the Innocence Project is leading the fight to bring accurate scientific analysis to the courtroom. He joins Trevor to explain how junk science, a reliance on expert witness testimony, and scientifically illiterate juries drive wrongful convictions and help create a sense of legitimacy for what he calls, “poor people science.” See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Chris Fabricant leads the Innocence Project's Strategic Litigation Department, whose attorneys develop and execute national litigation and public policy strategies to address the leading causes of wrongful conviction, including eyewitness misidentification, the misapplication of forensic sciences and false confessions.  Fabricant is one of the United States's leading experts on forensic sciences and scientific litigation. He is a former longtime public defender and law professor, frequently serves as a public speaker on legal reform and social justice, and has published numerous articles in journals such as Fordham Law Review and New York University Review of Law & Social Change. In his recently published book, Junk Science and the American Criminal Justice System, Chris examines the role that faulty scientific evidence has in continuing and strengthening an unjust and racial bias.Join us we as we discuss many issues surrounding the application of forensic science in the criminal justice system.Originally aired on June 23, 2022

Like most people, shows like CSI, Law and Order, or even Dexter, may have you convinced that the science used to convict people is airtight. Everything from bite marks, blood spatter, and even finger prints, must be scientifically valid...right?    What if I told you, almost all of it is predicated on junk science and the failings of the legal system to catch it? Today's guest is on the show to highlight this and the infrastructure that has been created to support wrongful convictions.    Chris Fabricant is the Director of Strategic Litigation at the Innocence Project and the author of Junk Science and the American Criminal Justice System.   In this episode, we will go over some of the findings in Chris' book that help us to understand how the legal system allowed bad science to become such a powerful tool to wrongfully convict thousands of Americans.   Giving his solutions to the junk science problem, Chris will leave you with the hope that it will one day be no more.    Key Topics and Takeaways:   Hunter's definition of a wrongful conviction. [6:25] How junk science got into the criminal system. [13:37] The issue with pattern matching. [23:09] Society's strong desire to punish. [31:12] How the Supreme Court has played a role in wrongful convictions and mass incarceration. [37:06] The principle of finality. [38:03] Denialism around actual innocence. [47:17] Promoting scientific literacy among lawyers. [1:06:25]   Guest:   Chris Fabricant, Director of Strategic Litigation, Innocence Project   Resources:   2009 National Academy of Sciences Report  2016 PCAST Forensic Science Report  Buy Chris's Book Junk Science and the American Criminal Justice System    Memorable Quotes:   “I don't think people actually want to live in the type of society that our legal principles say we should be living in.” (4:50, Hunter)   “What we know about the law as compared to science is that the law is stable.” (22:17, Chris)   “In reality, crime usually happens. Police get together, form their suspect. And then, a lot of the analysis of the evidence is then with that suspect in mind.” (27:39, Hunter)   “Science should always be objective, it should be separated from the adversarial process.” (29:40, Chris)   “There's widespread scientific illiteracy in the bar.” [50:59, Chris)   “Once you're accused unless you can afford really, really good counsel, you're kind of fucked.” (59:56, Hunter)   Contact Hunter Parnell: hwparnell@publicdefenseless.com Instagram Twitter www.publicdefenseless.com

Our criminal justice system gives the impression of being impartial and fact-based, but in reality, it's anything but. Innocence Project lawyer and author of Junk Science Chris Fabricant joins Adam to break down why pseudoscience is allowed into the court room, the influence of the Ted Bundy trial on mainstream forensics and the impact of the criminal justice system on marginalized people. You can purchase Chris' book here: https://factuallypod.com/books

M. Chris Fabricant, Director of Strategic Litigation for the Innocence Project & expert on forensic science and the US criminal justice system, chats with Trey Elling about JUNK SCIENCE AND THE AMERICAN CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. Topics include: The birth of junk science as a jury-swaying courtroom tool (2:22) 'Peer reviewed' as a misunderstood term regarding science (10:33) An early 1990s US Supreme Court case favoring Dow Pharmaceuticals helping with the awakening on junk science (19:55) The challenge of swaying those whose careers have been built on a belief in junk science (26:14) The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) uncovering major flaws with the most popular forensic sciences in 2006 (29:38) Debunking the uniqueness and certainty of fingerprints (35:56) How it went when the NAS revealed its findings at the annual American Academy of Forensic Science meeting in 2009 (42:59) Michael West as an especially belligerent example of dental junk science (47:32) Unindicted co-ejaculator theories (52:28) The importance of Steven Mark Chaney's story (55:00)

Forensic science is often viewed as the silver bullet in modern criminal convictions, but not all forensic science disciplines are backed by sound empirical data. M. Chris Fabricant of Innocence Project explains how junk science leads to injustice, wrongful convictions, and the failure to apprehend violent criminals responsible. He explains that the term "poor people science" refers to how the courts seem to employ one system to adjudge experts in civil cases against wealthy corporate defendants and a far more lax approach to admitting evidence against criminal defendants with limited resources. Fabricant shares how courts can unintentionally enable destructive precedent that can then lead to the wrongful imprisonment of many.

Criminal Minds. Inside the Mind of a Serial Killer. Inside the Criminal Mind. Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez. Each of these is the title of a series, fictional or otherwise, or documentary that relies on the work of so-called criminal profilers. They're all premised, more or less, on the same idea: That the ability to venture inside the mind of an individual who's committed a horrific act of violence–say, serial murder, rape, or kidnapping–is the key to figuring out why that crime happened in the first place. This theory may sound promising at first blush; after all, the highest echelons of law enforcement in the US continue to use criminal profiling tactics to this day. But the reality is that, despite their prevalence in law enforcement both onscreen and off, criminal profiling techniques are largely ineffective, and in many ways, dangerous. Failing to consider institutional factors such as a culture of violence and easy access to weapons, patriarchy, austerity and other social ills that contribute to and reinforce violent crime, criminal profiling focuses almost exclusively on individual experiences and psychological makeup. Meanwhile, it categorizes “criminals” not as people who've been shaped by this social conditioning, but as neuro-deviants whose psychological anatomy is just different from yours or mine. On this episode, we examine the history of the practice of criminal profiling in the West; how the FBI and entertainment industry work in tandem to glamorize the profession, despite its harms; what the actual effectiveness of profiling is; and how it serves as yet another form of Hollywood copaganda. Our guests are Thomas MacMillan and Chris Fabricant.

Joshua B. Hoe interviews M. Chris Fabricant about his book Junk Science and the American Criminal Justice SystemYou can find complete show notes on our website https://decarcerationnation.com/

Meelya Gordon Memorial Lecture In conversation with John Holloway One of the United States's foremost experts on forensic sciences and the criminal justice system, M. Chris Fabricant is the director of strategic litigation at the Innocence Project, a nonprofit organization that uses DNA testing to release wrongly convicted individuals from prison. He is a former longtime public defender and law professor, frequently serves as a public speaker on legal reform and social justice, is featured in the Netflix documentary series The Innocence Files, and has published numerous articles in journals such as Fordham Law Review and New York University Law Review. In his new book, Fabricant examines the role that faulty scientific evidence has in continuing and strengthening an unjust and racist criminal justice system. John Holloway is the associate dean and executive director of the Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. (recorded 4/21/2022)

Larry weighs in on the 'Fall of Civilizations' podcast, the decline of the American empire, and the current cultural shift in our society. He's then joined by author Chris Fabricant to discuss his new book 'Junk Science' and they begin by talking about the genesis of the term and how it connects to and affects the criminal justice system, particularly in the field of forensic dentistry.(18:28) They then examine different cases in which "expert" confirmation bias distorted overwhelming evidence and swayed their outcomes.(28:53) Next, Chris shares how his passions led to him becoming the Director of Strategic Litigation for the Innocence Project and what the organization is doing to correct wrongful convictions and change some of the public misconceptions around forensic science. (41:03) They end the conversation by talking about the future of junk science and how to reform the damage it's done to the criminal justice system. (1:02:57) Host: Larry Wilmore Guest: Chris Fabricant Producer: Kaya McMullen Production Assistant: Chris Sutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

M. Chris Fabricant, director of strategic litigation for the Innocence Project and the author of Junk Science and the American Criminal Justice System (Akashic Books, 2022), talks about cases in which forensic "science" led to wrongful convictions and tries to push back on the idea (from shows like CSI) that forensics takes human error out of the equation.

The California Reparations Task Force voted 5-4 on Tuesday to pay reparations only to Black residents here who can prove a direct connection to slavery. Facebook's parent company Meta hired a GOP consulting firm to try to convince Americans that TikTok was harmful to children, reports the Washington Post.  Many forensic scientists — in real life and on TV dramas — use unreliable methods that end up convicting innocent people, according to author Chris Fabricant.  Evan Kleiman celebrates women who make wine and own wine shops throughout California, from Santa Barbara to LA and San Diego.

In this special episode of the IPTES season recorded live in Crystal City, Just Science covers the panel titled, "Statistics and Testimony from the Practitioner and Juror Point of View." Moderators for the panel were Dr. John Morgan, Just Science host from RTI International, and Xiaoyu Alan Zheng, a mechanical engineer at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Prior to this recording, panelists gave presentations during the symposium on various statistical topics, including: "Statistical Interpretation and Reporting of Fingerprint Evidence at the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laborator" presented by Mr. Henry Swofford. "LR Testimony Cross-Examined" presented by Dr. Hari Iyer, and Dr. Steven Lund from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and Mr. Chris Fabricant. "Factors Which Influence Juror's Interpretation of the Value of Forensic Science Testimony" presented by Dr. Alicia Wilcox. Dr. Wilcox goes further into her research on a previous just science episode "Just A Juror's Perception" If you would like to watch their presentations, you can find them on the FTCoE website www.Forensiccoe.org This season of Just Science is funded by the National Institute of Justice's Forensic Technology Center of Excellence.

Get out your tweezers and magnifying glass - this week, we’re investigating forensic science. There are a slew of scientific techniques that forensic experts use to solve crimes. But how reliable are they? We’re putting forensic evidence under the microscope. To help us crack the case, we talk to Assoc. Prof. Sibyl Bucheli, attorney Chris Fabricant, former crime lab director Barry Fisher, Dr. Itiel Dror, and Assoc. Prof. Patrick Buzzini. Our Sponsors Hello Fresh – To get $35 off your first week of deliveries visit hellofresh.com and enter promo code “ScienceVS” Frank & Oak – Go to frankandoak.com/science to get your first outfit for $79 (a pair of pants and a shirt). Wealthsimple – Investing made easy. Get your first $10,000 managed for free. Credits This episode has been produced by Shruti Ravindran, Diane Wu, Austin Mitchell and Heather Rogers. Our senior producer is Kaitlyn Sawrey. Edited by Annie-Rose Strasser and Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Michelle Harris. Sound design and music production by Matthew Boll, mixed by Martin Peralta and Bobby Lord. Music written by Bobby Lord. === Original video: https://soundcloud.com/science-vs/forensic-science Downloaded by http://huffduff-video.snarfed.org/ on Fri, 21 Oct 2016 14:36:32 GMT Available for 30 days after download

Chris Fabricant is Director of Strategic Litigation at the Innocence Project. Adam and Chris discuss outdated forensic techniques such as bite mark analysis, why DNA analysis works, and Chris' bizarre deposition with bite mark "expert" Michael West.

There are a slew of scientific techniques that forensic experts use to solve crimes. But how reliable are they? We’re putting forensic evidence under the microscope. To help us crack the case, we talk to Assoc. Prof. Sibyl Bucheli, attorney Chris Fabricant, former crime lab director Barry Fisher, Dr. Itiel Dror, and Assoc. Prof. Patrick Buzzini. Our Sponsors Hello Fresh – To get $35 off your first week of deliveries visit hellofresh.com and enter promo code “ScienceVS”. Frank & Oak – Go to frankandoak.com/science to get your first outfit for $79 (a pair of pants and a shirt). Wealthsimple – Investing made easy. Get your first $10,000 managed for free. Credits This episode has been produced by Wendy Zukerman, Shruti Ravindran, Diane Wu, Austin Mitchell and Heather Rogers. Our senior producer is Kaitlyn Sawrey. Edited by Annie-Rose Strasser and Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Michelle Harris. Sound design and music production by Matthew Boll, mixed by Martin Peralta and Bobby Lord. Music written by Bobby Lord. Selected References 2009 National Academy of Sciences and 2016 President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology reports on forensic science Overview of forensic entomology Amendt et al, “Forensic entomology,” Naturwissenschaften, 2004 Study modeling precision of dating time of death from flies Faris et al, “Forensic Entomology: Evaluating Uncertainty Associated With Postmortem Interval (PMI) Estimates With Ecological Models,” Journal of Medical Entomology 2016. Review paper on bite mark analysis Clement et al, “Is current bite mark analysis a misnomer?” Department of Justice review of Brandon Mayfield case Context can change how fingerprints are read Dror et al, “Contextual information renders experts vulnerable to making erroneous identifications,” Forensic Science International, 2006. Hair microscopy can lead to incorrect matches Houck et al, “Correlation of microscopic and mitochondrial DNA hair comparisons,” Journal of Forensic Science, 2002.