A Judge Asks: Is Forensic Science Really Science?

D-brief
By Chris Gorski
Feb 25, 2019 11:15 PMMay 17, 2019 8:58 PM
(Credit: Microgen/shutterstock)
(Credit: Microgen/shutterstock)

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(Inside Science) — According to Senior U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff, at the Southern District of New York, “Forensic science continues to be routinely admitted by the courts, both state and federal, even though considerable doubts have now been raised as to whether forensic science really is science at all, and whether it is reliable and valid.”

As part of the National Commission on Forensic Science, Rakoff contributed to a 2016 report noting some serious flaws in the way the justice system uses forensic science. He says that times have changed, and science has changed, but some judges aren’t changing as scientific understanding advances.

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