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Finding Fault with Forensics (August 12, 2005, One)

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Program Summary

There’s a new hero on the TV crime show. No longer is the ace detective or the dogged beat cop the golden boy of solving murders. Now it’s the crime scene investigator, the laboratory geek who messes around with top-of-the-line microscopes, chemicals, test strips, and funny lights to reveal, in a few days, that the killer is actually the least likely suspect.

In a perfect world, it would happen like that, but in the real world, there’s a lot wrong with this picture. We may sleep soundly believing that fingerprints, DNA, and hair samples are infallible, but forensic evidence can be highly unreliable as definitive proof of crime, mostly because of human error. Mistakes are made because the forensic investigator is poorly trained or careless, while others have been found guilty of falsifying results, all of which casts doubt on every case the investigator has been involved in. Some forensic investigations have been so flawed that judges have reversed convictions after the evidence has been reexamined. Ira’s guests also point out that as new techniques such as biometrics are developed, not enough studies are done or standards of accuracy established before they are put to use.

Then there’s the “CSI effect” that trial lawyers have to cope with lately. Some jurors have watched so many crime lab shows that they make judgments based on something they saw on TV rather than on the evidence being presented. Enough reason to keep your nose clean and out of court!

Guests

Jonathan J. Koehler, University Distinguished Professor in Behavioral Decision Making at the McCombs School of Business of the
University of Texas, Austin

Barry A.J. Fisher, crime laboratory director for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in Los Angeles, California

Related Links and Resources

Chicago Tribune, October 17, 2004: Unproven techniques sway courts, erode justice
Chicago Tribune, October 19, 2004: From the Start, a Faulty Science
Sciencedaily.com, September 13, 2005: Study Of Faulty Fingerprints Debunks Forensic Science 'Zero Error' Claim
The Innocence Project

For Discussion:

• What can make forensic evidence unreliable?

• What training is required to become a forensic investigator?

• What makes someone an “expert witness?”

• What is the “CSI effect?” How can this phenomenon affect trial outcomes?

• What is the Innocence Project? How many convictions has it reversed?

Activities

You sure know your stuff, Sherlock. Using these sites listed by The Science Spot, you can create your very own CSI unit (and find out what that Mystery Meat sandwich the school cafeteria serves really is)

• Court TV Forensics Classroom - Several lessons from Court TV on topics in forensic science. The lessons are geared towards the high school level, but junior high teachers may find ideas to adapt for their students.
• ChemMystery - This site from LHS provides several ideas for a forensic science unit, such as a voice print
• Criminalistics - Browse this page for an assortment of ideas and lab pages, such as a blood splatter lab, DNA fingerprint, and more!
• CyberBee - Who Dunnit? - Students investigate feet, teeth, and other topics to solve a crime.
• Forensic Science Activities - This site provides ideas for fingerprints, shoe prints, lip prints, handwriting analysis, and chromatography geared towards upper elementary and junior high students.
• MysteryNet - A great site for those challenging "Whodunnits" as well as other mystery lab ideas.
• Science of Forensics @ DiscoverySchool.com - Also visit the fingerprints area for activity sheets and information .
• Shoder Forensic Science - Learn about trash archaeology, DNA extraction, handwriting analysis, and other lesson ideas for your CSI unit.
• Winter Wonderland - Who thawed Frosty? - Bring DNA analysis into your classroom with this fun lab idea that can be adapted to any season.

Mistaken identity. Reasonable Doubt: Can Crime Labs Be Trusted? (CNN Education with Student News) digs at the truth behind forensic evidence (show transcript), looking at false convictions and examining problems with various kinds of forensic tests.

Finger the evidence with more activities and resources at the Science Friday Kids’ Connection pages:

Ballistic Fingerprinting (Oct 25, 2002, Hour 2)
DNA Identity (April 11, 2003: Hour One)
The Eyes Have It! Airline Security and Biometrics (June 11, 2004, Hour Two)

Use the search box below to perform a Google search within any of the specifc sites or general domains mentioned in this Activities section.

Hear the Program

RealAudio format (courtesy NPR Online)
Windows Media format (courtesy NPR Online)
mp3 download (Science Friday Podcast)