Tuesday, March 3
Noon-1:30 ET
Panelists:
• Terry Dunworth, director, Justice Policy Center, Urban Institute (moderator)
• Peter M. Marone, executive director, Virginia Department of Forensic Sciences; member, Committee on Identifying the Needs of the Forensic Science Community, National Research Council
• Kenneth E. Melson, director, Executive Office for United States Attorneys, Department of Justice
• John Roman, senior research associate, Justice Policy Center, Urban Institute; coauthor, “The DNA Field Experiment”
• Stephen Saloom, policy director, Innocence Project, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University
One of the worst-kept secrets in law enforcement -- that there is little science behind many standard investigative practices -- is getting the sunshine treatment. A new National Research Council study concludes that crime-investigation practices across the country are inconsistent: who collects the evidence, how it is processed, and how it is interpreted vary from coast to coast. Moreover, no current scientific method ensures the accuracy of many common investigative tools.
For years, some of the most routine ways of identifying suspects, including eyewitness testimony and jailhouse snitches, were known to be dubious. Now, courtesy of the National Research Council, we can add forensic evidence -- ballistics, impressions (footprints and bite marks), trace evidence (hair and fibers), and perhaps even fingerprints -- to the list.
Join the discussion as experts tackle such questions as
- What does the National Research Council report mean for the cop on the beat, prosecutors and defense attorneys, judges, juries, citizens, and wrongdoers?
- What are the implications for past convictions that depended on the forensic procedures challenged in the report?
- Will DNA analysis, used in only about 80,000 cases so far, become the gold standard for evidence?
- Will the criminal justice system, especially crime labs, be up to the task?
- What will happen with cases that lack DNA evidence?
Resources
- Bios (pdf)
- The DNA Field Experiment: Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of the Use of DNA in the Investigation of High-Volume Crimes (link)
At the Urban Institute
2100 M Street N.W., 5th Floor, Washington, D.C.
Lunch will be provided at 11:45 a.m. The forum begins promptly at noon.
Webcast note:
You will need to register for the webcast on the same computer you will use to listen. You can register anytime up to and during the event. To access the webcast, you can go to the same link where you registered, http://www.visualwebcaster.com/event.asp?id=56202.
