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How Reliable are Forensic and Ballistic Evidence?

By Chris

Forensic and ballistic evidence have been key to criminal convictions — and police drama — for the past few decades. But a recent report by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) could change the way these types of evidence play out in court. At heart of the issue is that the scientific methods used to link bullets to guns and identify fingerprints, hair follicles and bite marks are far from perfect, and can seldom prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Aside from DNA evidence, no forensic evidence should be viewed as cut-and-dry. For example, matching bullets to shells is far from an exact science, as many of the identifying marks used are too common for a one-to-one relationship. Yet ballistic evidence is often presented as such...continue to full post

Full post as published by The Criminal Defense Blog on May 11, 2009 (boomark / email).