Forensics

Forensics used to convict 1,000s of people may not be scientifically valid – report

A fingerprint led to the arrest of New York and New Jersey bomber Ahmad Rahami, but a new report from a White House scientific advisory committee says much of what bitemark, hair, firearm and toolmark analyses provide does not meet scientific standards.

The White House’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology concluded in a report released Tuesday that widely used forensic techniques used in criminal trials in the nation’s legal system might not be scientifically valid.

The report said validity “requires that a method has been subjected to empirical testing by multiple groups, under conditions appropriate to its intended use.”