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Article • February 15, 2025 • from CLN March, 2025
Study Reveals Best DNA Recovery Spots on Drug Baggies by James Mills by James Mills In a world of theoretical experiments, it’s rare to find one that’s directly applicable for law enforcement in the real world. This may just be one of those rarities. A recent study from Flinders University …
Article • February 15, 2025 • from CLN March, 2025
Study: DNA Transfer in Social Settings by Michael Thompson by Michael Dean Thompson With every breath you take, you shed DNA. It is in the skin cells that flake off your body by the millions, the hair that floats off as you walk, and the oil you leave behind on …
Article • January 15, 2025 • from CLN February, 2025
Seeking Justice for Two: The DNA Scandal That Shook a Community by by Justyna Madenska This article explores the wrongful conviction of David Hehn and the unresolved murder of Gay Lynn Dixon, revealing systemic failures in forensic evidence handling and the justice system’s pursuit of true justice. In 1982, the …
Article • December 15, 2024 • from CLN January, 2025
Touch-Transfer DNA Remains Misunderstood and Still Poses High Risk of Wrongful Conviction by J.D. Schmidt by J.D. Schmidt Modern criminal investigations, especially cold homicide cases, often rely on what is known as “touch-transfer” DNA to identify the perpetrator. But in recent years, developments in DNA research have shown that there …
The Rise of Mass Supervision: From Rehabilitative Alternative to Shadow Carceral State by Casey Bastian by Casey J. Bastian Nationwide, on any given day, more people are on probation than in prisons and jails and on parole combined. —The Pew Institute The concept of probation began with one Massachusetts man …
Article • September 1, 2024 • from CLN September, 2024
Forensic Microbiology and Criminal Investigations by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney According to microbiologists, every individual has a “unique community of microorganisms on and within their body.” These communities, known as “microbiomes,” consist of microbes “specific to different parts of the body, can persist over long periods of time and …
Article • August 1, 2024 • from CLN August, 2024
Dozens of Prisoners in Colorado Notified About Potential Compromised DNA Evidence by In early July, dozens of incarcerated individuals in Colorado counties Arapahoe and Douglas, received a promising letter from the District Attorney’s office. DA John Kellner was notifying defendants in cases that could have been affected by allegations of …
California Court of Appeal: Probation Condition Prohibiting Possession of Pornography Impermissibly Vague by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney The Court of Appeal of California, First Appellate District, held that a probation condition prohibiting possession of pornographic materials was impermissibly vague. Michael Gruis pleaded no contest to one count of possession …
Article • November 1, 2023 • from CLN November, 2023
Three’s a Crowd: Issues of DNA Mixture Analysis and Interpretation by Eike Blohm, MD by Eike Blohm M.D. A study funded by the National Institute of Justice recently found that the vast majority of forensic laboratories had difficulty correctly interpreting DNA samples derived from three donors. Over 99.9% of our …
Article • May 29, 2023
Secondary DNA Transfer: Little Known Phenomenon That Puts You at a Crime Scene You’ve Never Visited and Places a Murder Weapon You’ve Never Touched in Your Hand by Miles Dyson by Miles Dyson In 2008, European authorities were hot on the trail of a highly prolific serial killer and burglar. …
Study Finds DNA Similarities Among Look-alikes by Eike Blohm, MD by Eike Blohm, MD A recently published study shows that “doppelgängers” — unrelated strangers who look eerily similar — don’t just share looks; they have similar DNA. The advent of social media and ubiquitous cellphone cameras has resulted in some …
Article • June 15, 2022 • from CLN July, 2022
Cops in Virginia Beach Used Fake DNA Reports During Interrogations by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney Apparently, cops in Virginia Beach are not troubled by a lack of DNA evidence when investigating crimes. Their remedy is to simply create fake certificates of analysis (“COA”) purported to be from the Virginia …
Article • June 15, 2022 • from CLN July, 2022
Filed under: Special Conditions
Tenth Circuit Vacates Special Conditions of Supervised Release Where District Court Failed to Make Appropriate Findings and Provide Adequate Explanation by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit vacated the U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming’s imposition of a “Sexual Materials …
Article • March 15, 2022 • from CLN April, 2022
Ninth Circuit Announces Irizarry Didn’t Eliminate Wise Requirement That Sentencing Court Provide Notice of Special Conditions of Supervised Release Prior to Imposing Sentence by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California …
Article • March 15, 2021 • from CLN April, 2021
Faulty Forensics and Wrongful Convictions by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke Faulty forensics play a major role in causing known wrongful convictions in the United States. Just how big of a role the application of science to justice plays in sending the innocent to prison depends upon your definition of …
Article • March 15, 2021 • from CLN April, 2021
Seventh Circuit: Indiana’s Sex Offender Registration Act’s ‘Other Jurisdiction Requirement’ Unconstitutional Violation of Right to Travel by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit upheld U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana’s opinion that found a provision of Indiana’s Sex Offender …
Article • December 15, 2020 • from CLN January, 2021
Fifth Circuit: Special Conditions of Supervised Release That Barred Use of Internet, Computers, and Electronic Devices for 10 Years Not Substantively Reasonable by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit held that the special conditions of supervised release imposed by the U.S. District …
Article • November 15, 2020 • from CLN December, 2020
Cincinnati Police Department Agrees to Audit of Its DNA Database by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney The Innocence Project of New York, along with the Cincinnati, Ohio, law firm of Gerhardstein & Branch (collectively “Plaintiff’s Counsel”), negotiated a settlement on September 14, 2020, wherein the Cincinnati Police Department (“CPD”) agreed …
Article • August 15, 2020 • from CLN September, 2020
Fourth Circuit: Sentencing Procedurally Unreasonable Where Special Condition Not Explained and Mitigation Argument Not Addressed by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit held that a criminal sentence was unreasonable where the district court failed to offer an explanation for a special condition …
Article • July 15, 2020 • from CLN August, 2020
South Carolina Supreme Court Overturns Murder Conviction Where State Presented Improper Testimony Regarding Trace DNA Evidence by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney The Supreme Court of South Carolina reversed Billy Phillips’ murder conviction because the State presented improper testimony regarding DNA evidence and provided information to the jury that was …
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