Legal Process | Forensic Magazine

Chain of Custody

Laboratory Storage Solutions: Efficient Solutions to the Ever Present Issue of Stuff
What options exist to better store items that not only provide more storage but also provide an economy of space? Depending on what is being stored there are a number of products to help facilitate that need.
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.

Legislation/Rulings

Next Generation Sequencing for Forensics
You can’t look at the advent of next generation DNA sequencing, the speed at which the technology is advancing, and the rate at which the cost is dropping and—with any intellectual honesty—suggest that the forensic use of DNA is going to continue with blinders to anything phenotypic.
Innocence Projects Abroad
Efforts focusing on the protection and exoneration of the innocent through DNA technology in two countries may help bring about safer and more just societies.
A Road Map for Attaining ISO/IEC 17025:2005 (ISO 17025) Accreditation: How to Move Forward
The purpose of this article is to provide laboratories with an overview of a logical sequence towards, and identify the prerequisites required for, accreditation.

Expert Witness

Applying the New Science of Metaphors to Forensic Science Testimony
Using metaphors to explain concepts and data enhances the scientific testimony’s impact, meaning, and memory-value.
Stressing Demeanor Credibility: Continued Impacts of Melendez-Diaz for Forensic Scientists
Judges and juries listen and look very closely to demeanor evidence to assess the credibility of forensic testimony. Research has repeatedly shown that demeanor evidence significantly determines court decisions.
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.