Sloppy Fire Science, Courts, the ATF, and the Effects on Citizens

[roo_ster]

Thumbnail Sketch:
Guy convicted of arson by means of forensic evidence testimony has guilt status changed from "guilty" to "indeterminate, given the evidence" in my view.

This article is of interest for several reasons:
1. The store that burned was my favorite gun store.
2. As an analyst, seeing how other analysts do their work is of interest...especially in how they deal with uncertainty of results and how they relate that to their superiors/customers/others.
3. As a youth in the middle of nowhere for a few years, I did all sorts of experiments, many to do with fire.
4. How experts and science is used in the court setting.

Long article, I won't except it, as I don;t think I could do the subject matter justice.

Well worth your read, though


http://www.texasobserver.org/article.php?aid=3002

[ilbob]

A lot of junk science ends up as expert testimony in court.

[MechAg94]

IMO, it is critical that jurors in technical cases be able to differentiate between well defined scientific evidence, and simple expert opinions that are nothing more than guesses based on technical knowledge. 

However, most people these days can't seem to tell the difference between the two. 

[vaskidmark]

The DOJ dropped all charges against former AK Senator Stevens because the prosecutors failed utterly, even after the judge told them to do so, to turn over exculpatory evidence.

What are the odds that this might happen again, on a day ending in any letter except "y"?

Seems there are just not enough of us common folks who are high-profile, famous, or otherwise blessed with something the feds do not want to have to be raked over the coals about.

I'm amazed that the 5th Circuit denied an appeal, based on the recent revelations of the Stephens matter.  I know they are pretty much a hard-core hanging circuit, but they have always seemed to me to be willing to give truth a chance.

stay safe.

skidmark

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

made me mad. was furious to hear that perry helped execute a possibly innocent man. texas leads the nation in wrongful conviction overturned by dna. if it is proven they fried the wrong guy you texans need to make sure perry never forgets

[digitalandanalog]

ATF... stands for...

Always Truly F@#$ing honest gun people.

[just Warren]

Does anyone here really expect any better out of government?

[De Selby]

This is one of the side effects of the "CSI" age of criminal trials.  Sometimes really cool scientific testimony takes a front seat to an overall rational, sensible story about what happened.

Witnesses and overall circumstances should always be primary in the jury's consideration, as unreliable as they are, because without the human take on the story, the physical evidence rarely tells you enough to get at the elements of the crime.