Wrongful Conviction Resources

Crime Labs Are Not Like TV Crime Shows

Crime labs are not run like television crime dramas. Unfortunately, “forensic science” is shown to be a lot less science than what prosecutors and TV shows lead us to believe. According to a Mother Jones report “Issues with lab technician Mignon Dunbar’s work came to light during a child molestation trial in December, when defense attorneys discovered she had “filled in the gaps” in an incomplete genetic sample and submitted it for comparison with a database of California offenders’ DNA profiles. (State rules specify that only complete genetic samples are supposed to be checked against the database.) The doctored sample matched with DNA from a man named Marco Hernandez, whom prosecutors charged.”

Click here to read the Mother Jones article.

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