Saturday, December 30, 2006

When Evidence Is Not Real Evidence : What you see is not always what you get / Officer, 26 Dec 2006

http://digbig.com/4qmrn
DR. DOUG HANSON
"With the advances in forensic science over the past decade, more and more convictions are heavily dependent on detailed and specific pieces of crime scene evidence. Hairs, fibers, threads from a piece of clothing, and of course DNA evidence, all add pieces to the puzzle of facts presented to a jury. In many cases much of this evidence is circumstantial and would not stand on its own, but as part of an overall picture it fits in. But what if the evidence gathered is not what it appears to be? Most jigsaw puzzles are cut from fairly standard patterns. Therefore, it is possible for a piece from one puzzle to fit into a similar space in an entirely different puzzle. The pieces all fit, but the picture is not right. If this puzzle is used to convict someone, then it is possible for a person to be convicted of a crime they did not commit."