By Alexi DeLara In recent decades, researchers, judges, and journalists have raised questions regarding the reliability of a range of widely utilized forensic techniques. This includes, but is not limited to, forensic comparison methods, such as latent fingerprint and firearm comparisons. The article, “Mock Jurors’ Evaluation of Firearm Examiner Testimony Notes,” written by Brandon L. […]
Tag: research
Join Our Team: Wilson Center Hiring an Associate Director
The Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law School is hiring an Associate Director. From the job description: The Wilson Center for Science and Justice aims to conduct interdisciplinary research to advance criminal justice and civil rights. The Center’s mission includes three important components: (1) research, (2) policy and law reform, and (3) […]
Federal Compassionate Release Opinion Cites Wilson Center Research on Risk Assessment
A U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Michigan cited research from the Wilson Center for Science and Justice in an order this week granting an incarcerated man compassionate release. Desmond Reginal Rodgers was serving 200 months in prison after pleading guilty to bank robbery, pharmacy robbery and a firearms charge in 2012. The […]
New Article from Garrett, Albright First to Explore Intersection of Law, Science of Eyewitness Evidence
Eyewitness evidence, used in tens of thousands of criminal cases each year, crucially depends on eyewitness memory, which is quite fallible. The potential inaccuracy of eyewitness memory has been long demonstrated by examples of misidentifications, including in cases of wrongful conviction. Eyewitness identification procedures, which are themselves experiments, lend themselves to scientific research as do […]
New CSAFE Study Shows Juror Appraisals of Forensic Evidence
A new CSAFE study by Duke Center for Science and Justice Director Brandon Garrett, Research Director William Crozier and Towson University’s Jeff Kukucka was released online in late July and will appear in the October issue of Forensic Science International. The article “Juror appraisals of forensic evidence: Effects of blind proficiency and cross-examination” found that […]
New Study Funded by CSAFE Reveals Impact of Forensic Evidence on Jurors
The Center for Statistics and Applications in Forensic Evidence (CSAFE) funded a Duke Center for Science and Justice Study that reveals the impact of forensic evidence on jurors. The article “Error Rates, Likelihood Ratios, and Jury Evaluation of Forensic Evidence” presents a study by Duke CSJ Director Brandon L. Garrett, JD, Research Director William E. […]
Report: Justice System Must Improve Quality of Forensic Science for Courtroom Presentation
Is forensic science in the courtroom as trustworthy as it seems? Not always, according to a new report co-authored by Duke Center for Science and Justice Research Director William Crozier. “Faulty forensic science sometimes makes its way into the courtroom where jurors must evaluate its credibility,” the report abstract states. “But at least two factors […]