Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Forensic Testimony Called Into Question
Crime lab scenes on television are full of forensic mumbo jumbo -- and now it seems that the real-life experts at the FBI have been making stuff up too. The FBI and the Justice Department have announced that agency experts’ bad testimony helped convict hundreds of suspects of murder, rape, and other violent crimes.
By Madeleine Brand • • 1 min readCrime lab scenes on television are full of forensic mumbo jumbo -- and now it seems that the real-life experts at the FBI have been making stuff up too. The FBI and the Justice Department have announced that agency experts’ bad testimony helped convict hundreds of suspects of murder, rape, and other violent crimes. In 32 of those cases, defendants received the death penalty. And 14 of those have been executed or died in prison. The main problem is hair analysis, which turns out to be not very accurate.
The full episode
1 of 4
Hair Forensics, the Story of Armenians in L.A., and Dabbing- 0:00Forensic Testimony Called Into QuestionYou’re reading this
- 17:05Armenians in Los Angeles
- 25:45Friday Movies: 'The Age of Adeline,' Adam Sandler, and More
- 42:13Dabbing
The full episode
1 of 4Hair Forensics, the Story of Armenians in L.A., and Dabbing- 0:00Forensic Testimony Called Into QuestionYou’re reading this
- 17:05Armenians in Los Angeles
- 25:45Friday Movies: 'The Age of Adeline,' Adam Sandler, and More
- 42:13Dabbing