FBI's Forensic Test Full of Holes

FBI's Forensic Test Full of Holes

www.washingtonpost.com

Hundreds of defendants sitting in prisons nationwide have been convicted with the help of an FBI forensic tool that was discarded more than two years ago. But the FBI lab has yet to take steps to alert the affected defendants or courts, even as the window for appealing convictions is closing, a joint investigation by The Washington Post and "60 Minutes" has found.

The science, known as comparative bullet-lead analysis, was first used after President John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963.

(visit the link for the full news article)


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A whistleblower blog issued a press release on the DOJ/FBI's stonewalling attempts to get records of lead analysis through the FOIA, you can follow this groups progress here:

www.whistleblowersblog.org

Concerns about this procedure first surfaced in 1991, the FBI abandoned this method in 2005, though the question remains,

How many innocent people were convicted using this faulty analysis?

www.washingtonpost.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

In addition to the whistleblower blog, it looks like the Washington Post is going to keep this issue in the forefront with updates and a blog of their own on special investigations.

Here is a Q & A piece with John Solomon of the WP:

Bullet-matching Science Debunked

At noon ET on Monday, Nov. 19 Washington Post staff writer John Solomon responded to reader questions and comments about "Silent Injustice" his 6-month investigation with 60 MINUTES correspondent Steve Kroft into a flawed science used in the convictions of thousands of defendants, scores of whom may be innocent.

To keep up to date on the latest investigation news and projects in the Post, read the Washington Post Investigations blog.

As long as the public sees conviction rates for DAs as a valid indicator of their abilities, these things will go on happening. It's one of the reasons that plea bargaining is so prevalent.

Right or wrong doesn't seem to be important any more, just how many bases for the number of times at bat.

Another case of American Injustice:Alive and Well.

Throw this one in the same garbage can as lie detector test.

I just saw the peace in 60 Minutes that I had recorded, absolutely amazing what our government can get away with. I wonder how this was uncover probably some rich guy with high power lawyer and now they trying to spin the story or a least cover it up.

The good thing is that anothe useless tool of Law Enforcement goes to the trash, hopefully tasers found there way soon there after.

The Innocence Network announced that Attorney Barry Scheck will lead an independent probe into the flawed FBI forensics in an effort to find cases where injustices could have occurred. Scheck's group has freed over 200 who were wrongly convicted since he began the Innocence Project in the early 90's.

Legal groups to probe FBI bullet forensics

Here is another Solomon two part article on the topic:

Convicts unaware of flawed FBI tool

Years later, conviction in doubt

The second article documents the case of a Baltimore police officer convicted of murder, the use of the faulty forensics, and the expert witness who falsified his credentials and subsequently committed suicide once he was outed as a fraud.

I don't know if the officer was innocent, but it is clear that some of the evidence used to convict him was fabricated to boost the prosecution's case.

His case is pending in front of a judge in Baltimore who is deciding whether to overturn his conviction based on these new developments.