Traditionally, the insanity defense has been available in two situations: Due to a mental illness or defect, the defendant could not keep his actions within the dictates of the law. Due to a mental illness or defect, the defendant could not appreciate the wrongfulness...
Month: March 2020
Can the police test shed skin cells for DNA evidence?
Human beings leave behind DNA wherever we go. We shed skin. We sneeze out DNA-containing droplets. We shed hairs. We can't avoid it.Now, DNA testing has reached the point where the police could start testing this unavoidably-shed DNA and using it in criminal cases....
Increased OWI enforcement for St. Patrick’s Day begins now
You may need more than the luck of the Irish to get home safely on St. Patrick's Day. It's one of the biggest nights of the year for drinking, and that means there will be a lot of impaired drivers on the roadways Tuesday -- and also this weekend.That's why there will...
Law enforcement increasingly using ‘reverse search warrants’
Traditionally, search warrants only went one direction. A crime was committed or suspected, and the police would investigate. Witnesses would be contacted. A theory would be developed. When the police had probable cause to search for evidence, they got a search...
Study: The FBI’s blue jean wear mark analysis is not reliable
Over the last year, the nonprofit investigative newsroom ProPublica has published a series of articles that called into question whether some forensic techniques produce reliable results. One of the techniques questioned is the matching of wear marks along the seams...
