STORY: "False Impressions" by Michael Hall of Texas Monthly; Hall asks, in the January 2016 issue: "Is bite-mark evidence reliable enough to help convict a defendant?, What about hair analysis? As the Texas Forensic Science Commission painstakingly studies these and other issues, the once troubled organization is putting the state at the forefront of criminal justice reform—and serving as a model for the rest of the country."
GIST: "Forensic dentists are not alone in feeling persecuted. The truth is, many forensic science methods, from the way fires are investigated to how hair is analyzed, were created not by scientists but by individuals looking to aid law enforcement, and they are outdated in the world of DNA. And for the past five years, the FSC has been dragging these methods into the modern era, initiating a dozen investigations and leading the review of hundreds of old cases. It’s also brought together people who are usually sworn enemies in the courtroom to talk about how the criminal justice system makes forensic mistakes in the first place. “The commission doesn’t take sides,” said state senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, a Democrat from McAllen who is one of its champions in the Legislature. “The stakeholders in the system have confidence in the commission, that its findings will improve a system that needs improving.” The FSC has emerged as one of the most important forensic science policy groups in the country, one trying to fix serious problems—in particular, how to stop convicting innocent people based on outmoded science. Other states, including New York and Delaware, have similar commissions, but Texas has had the most success at bringing about reform. “The New York innocence people greatly admire the Texas commission,” said Di Maio, who is originally from Brooklyn. “For a New Yorker to say that is amazing. Texas is pioneering. We’re so far ahead—everyone else is eating our dust.”
The entire story can be found at:
http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/false-impressions/
See consummate blogger Dr Michael Bowers comments on his blog on this topic "Forensics in Focus (CSDDS)": "Well, its not just the bitemarker zealots being scoured by the Tx Commission as mentioned in the January issue of Texas Monthly. But, its title is “False Impressions” and its headpiece image is the above closeup of some badly busted up dental models. The article runs the details of this non-regulatory panel’s rise to new prominence in Criminal Justice news for its stance on junk arson investigations, DNA and the pesky 4 remaining bitemark dentists bold enough to showup at the TCFSC proceedings to defend themselves. The defending dentists totally missed (intentionally of course) the Commission’s oft-published charge to them to present legitimate scientific data behind their belief-based “system” of dental identification. This Texas article gives them short-shrift. There are numerous quotes from the panel and one outstanding member, general counsel Lynn Garcia, who at the outset of the Commission’s bitemark journey, took alot of objectionable flack from the very same dental bunch described in the article."
http://csidds.com/2015/12/27/tx-forensic-sci-commission-gets-kudos-for-driving-bitemark-analysts-to-ground/
PUBLISHER'S NOTE:Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following this case.
I have added a search box for content in this blog which now encompasses several thousand posts. The search box is located near the bottom of the screen just above the list of links. I am confident that this powerful search tool provided by "Blogger" will help our readers and myself get more out of the site.
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/
Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
http://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2013/12/the-charles-smith-award-presented-to_28.html
Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.
The entire story can be found at:
http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/false-impressions/
See consummate blogger Dr Michael Bowers comments on his blog on this topic "Forensics in Focus (CSDDS)": "Well, its not just the bitemarker zealots being scoured by the Tx Commission as mentioned in the January issue of Texas Monthly. But, its title is “False Impressions” and its headpiece image is the above closeup of some badly busted up dental models. The article runs the details of this non-regulatory panel’s rise to new prominence in Criminal Justice news for its stance on junk arson investigations, DNA and the pesky 4 remaining bitemark dentists bold enough to showup at the TCFSC proceedings to defend themselves. The defending dentists totally missed (intentionally of course) the Commission’s oft-published charge to them to present legitimate scientific data behind their belief-based “system” of dental identification. This Texas article gives them short-shrift. There are numerous quotes from the panel and one outstanding member, general counsel Lynn Garcia, who at the outset of the Commission’s bitemark journey, took alot of objectionable flack from the very same dental bunch described in the article."
http://csidds.com/2015/12/27/tx-forensic-sci-commission-gets-kudos-for-driving-bitemark-analysts-to-ground/
PUBLISHER'S NOTE:Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following this case.
I have added a search box for content in this blog which now encompasses several thousand posts. The search box is located near the bottom of the screen just above the list of links. I am confident that this powerful search tool provided by "Blogger" will help our readers and myself get more out of the site.
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/
Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
http://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2013/12/the-charles-smith-award-presented-to_28.html
Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.