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Spike in 2016 Chicago Youth Homicides Linked to Pause in State Funding
Several competing theories attempt to explain the rapid spike and decline in youth homicides, such as the 2015 consent agreement with the Chicago Police Department to reform “stop and frisk.” read more
83 Bipartisan Representatives Ask for Clemency in Lucio Case
“She was convicted based on discredited forensics and the testimony of a medical examiner who didn’t follow protocol and put another innocent person in prison just two months after.” read more
Illinois Forensic Science Commission Marks First Meeting, Reviews 72 Percent Backlog Reduction
Director Brendan Kelly kicked off the first meeting of the Forensic Science Commission charged with ensuring the efficient delivery of forensic science to help ensure swift justice for victims, as well as to exonerate the wrongly accused. read more
Ballistics Testing Initiative Gives Law Enforcement More Tech
The joint initiative will provide more opportunities for law enforcement to submit firearm evidence for scientific analysis, while simultaneously decreasing turnaround time on testing results. read more
States Look for Solutions as Fentanyl Deaths Keep Rising
In statehouses across the country, lawmakers have been considering and adopting laws on two fronts: reducing the risk to users and increasing the penalties for dealing fentanyl or mixing it with other drugs. read more
Origins of the Avars Elucidated with Ancient DNA
The Avars did not leave written records about their history and these first genome-wide data provide robust clues about their origins. read more
Applying Modern Investigation Methods to Cold Cases
Law enforcement agencies faced with investigating long-unsolved cases must address both practical and philosophical considerations before doing so. read more
Jailing Adults Convicted of Sex Crimes Against Children Tops $5 Billion a Year
“We spend billions of dollars on criminal justice remedies after child sexual abuse has already occurred, and yet there are very limited resources for preventing this abuse from occurring in the first place.” read more
Law Enforcement Sees Growing Number of Pills Containing Fentanyl
Seizures of pills containing fentanyl increased 834% between 2018 to 2021, putting many at risk for unintentional exposure and overdose. read more
DDP Identifies Young Man Found Stabbed to Death in 1992
Authorities speculate the deceased died from stab wounds 1 to 3 years prior to being found. read more
Forensic Lab to Retest Up to 250 Blood Alcohol Samples
The laboratory has confirmed the instrumentation and reagents are working properly now, and are currently retesting samples to determine the scope of affected tests. read more
Skin Cells Leave their Mark for Crime Scene Investigators
Depositing skin cells and their DNA varies between individuals, but new data shows that some people have higher intra-variability in their cell deposits. read more
Researchers Use Skull CT Scans to Estimate Assigned Sex at Birth
Researchers have proposed a method of assigned sex estimation that is “population-inclusive,” or one that did not inherently rely on any estimation of ancestry by using 3D volume-rendered computed tomography scans of ancestry skulls to estimate assigned sex at birth. read more
Survey: Autistic Defendants are Being Failed by the Criminal Justice System
The criminal justice system is failing autistic people, argue researchers after a survey of lawyers found that an overwhelming majority of their clients were not provided with adequate support or adjustments. read more
EXCLUSIVE: Brand New Deterministic Software Can Deconvolute a DNA Mixture in Seconds
In groundbreaking work that has the potential to completely upend forensic DNA analysis, a particle physicist has developed technology that can deconvolute a DNA mixture of up to 8 people in less than one minute—in a deterministic manner. read more