Lecture Notes: Crime and Modern Science in Forensic Analysis

Introduction to Forensic Science and DNA Testing

• Evolution of DNA Testing
  • Introduced in the late 1980s.
  • Brought scientific certainty to courtrooms.
  • Convicted the guilty and freed the innocent.
  • Questioned the reliability of previous forensic methods.

Microscopic Hair Analysis

• Historical Context
  • Relied upon by the criminal justice system before DNA testing.
  • Used to match hairs from crime scenes to suspects.
• Case Study: Kirk Odum
  • Arrested due to hair match despite an alibi.
  • Convicted in 1981 based on microscopic hair analysis.
  • Sentenced to over 20 years in prison.

Transition to DNA Testing

• Introduction of DNA Technology
  • Emerged in the mid-1990s.
  • Enabled more precise hair analysis.
• Challenges of Hair Analysis
  • Early DNA comparisons showed discrepancies.
  • About 11% of hairs thought to match microscopically did not match DNA.

Impact of DNA Testing on Historical Cases

• Reevaluation of Old Cases
  • The Innocence Project leveraged DNA to free wrongly convicted prisoners.
  • By 2012, DNA exonerated many convicted partly by hair analysis.

Limitations of Hair Analysis

• Lack of Statistical Foundation
  • No statistical backing for matching hairs unlike DNA.
  • Misleading courtroom claims by forensic experts led to wrongful convictions.

Reevaluation and Exoneration

• High-Profile Exonerations
  • Investigations revealed flawed testimonies in FBI hair analysis cases.
  • Exonerations highlighted in a Washington Post investigation.
  • Kirk Odum and others were exonerated after serving long sentences.

FBI and Innocence Project Collaboration

• Review of Historical Cases
  • Reviewing over 2,500 pre-DNA testing cases.
  • Anticipation of finding many scientifically invalid testimonies.
• Consequences
  • Dozens on death row; potential for wrongful convictions.
  • Some real perpetrators committed additional crimes.

Conclusion

• Importance of Scientific Accuracy
  • Necessity for the criminal justice system to rely on accurate scientific methods.
  • Aim to prevent future wrongful convictions and promote justice.