Legal Process | Forensic Magazine

Chain of Custody

RFID In Forensics: What is it and what will it do?
Integrated RFID solutions can provide all the software and hardware needed to develop and keep an electronic chain-of-custody from the crime scene through the courtroom.
Making the Move from Paper to Electronic
Is electronic document control as important as some say it is? For one ISO 17025 Accredited Laboratory it has become a necessity to deal with the continual increase of document volume.
Integrated Criminal Investigation and Identification System
In today’s world of increasing case loads and corresponding data, an inter-departmental and even inter-unit database can make investigations easier and more efficient.

Legislation/Rulings

Ted Bundy vs. Arrestee DNA Databasing
It’s more than a little ironic that the week before the DNA of Ted Bundy, one of America’s most notorious serial killers, is entered into a DNA database, the First Appellate Court in California has ruled its arrestee database to be unconstitutional.
Family Feud: The Familial DNA Search Controversy Continues
Despite some vocal criticisms and concerns regarding the practice of familial DNA searching, it is being increasingly considered. What that means for the forensic community remains to be seen, but for states that have moved forward with familial searching programs, protocols continue to be refined.
How To Extrapolate Alcohol With Certainty
The courts have recently decided that single numerical values for blood and breath test results without a measure of uncertainty are inadmissible as they preclude objective interpretation.

Expert Witness

Applying Melendez: Briscoe and Beyond
A look at the effects of Briscoe v. Virginia and subsequent case law on the enforcement and application of Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts.
Confronting Science: Melendez-Diaz and the Confrontation Clause
In an interesting turn of its docket this year, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case with an almost identical issue as the controversial decision from last term’s Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts. However, the Court’s one-sentence opinion sent it back down to the Virginia Supreme Court, instructing its members to make their ruling consistent with last year’s. Melendez-Diaz provides clarity on the use of live testimony over the introduction of testimonial documents.
Expert Witness: Effective Courtroom Testimony
It is important to look, sound, and act the part to be a convincing and effective Expert Witness.