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Crime Lab Problems Continue In Texas, Elsewhere
More than two years after the closure of its DNA division, the Houston Police Department (HPD) crime lab remains a lesson in how not to run a forensics unit. Recent developments include the discovery of 280 boxes of misplaced evidence and a revelation that an analyst from a private laboratory …
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More from this issue:
- The History of Prison Legal News, by Paul Wright
- PLN in Court
- $600,000 Awarded To Paraplegic Jail Prisoner Hurt By Riding In Non-Handicap-Accessible Vehicle
- From the Editor
- Prison Legal News at 15, by Mumia Abu-Jamal
- Interview with Leonard Schroeter, by Todd Matthews
- Alabama Prisoner Awarded $90,000 For Work-Related Eye Injury
- Pro Se Tips and Tactics, by Daniel Manville
- Summary Judgment Reversed in Louisiana Jail Conditions Case
- Crime Lab Problems Continue In Texas, Elsewhere, by Michael Rigby
- Three California Prisons Ration Water Due To Contaminated Wells
- Two Pennsylvania Prisoners Win $1.2 Million For MRSA Skin Infections Contracted County Jail
- California Parole Condition Prohibiting Computer Access For Molester Ruled Unreasonable
- U.S. Supreme Court Holds California Policy Of Double-Celling By Race During Prison Intake Must Pass, by Marvin Mentor
- U.S. Department of Justice Reports Soaring Justice Expenditures
- Contraband Cell Phones On The Rise In U.S. Prisons
- Sex Offenders Living In Nursing Homes
More from Michael Rigby:
- Report On Arizona Hostage Crisis May Never Be Released , Aug. 23, 2016
- Federal Jury Awards $45,001 to Maryland Prisoner Assaulted By Guards, Aug. 23, 2016
- Wisconsin Appeals Court Orders Photos Delivered to Prisoner, April 15, 2013
- New York: Indigent Defendants' Suit Over Non-representation Ruled Justiciable, March 15, 2013
- Trial and Conviction in Washington Jailhouse Courtroom Overturned, March 15, 2013
- Scientific Advances in Arson Investigations Reveal Wrongful Convictions, Jan. 15, 2013
- Ninth Circuit Rules Right to Court Access Violated When Lockdown Prevents Prisoner from Researching Issues Related to Direct Appeal, Nov. 15, 2011
- Some Agencies Balk at Releasing Prison Phone Data, April 15, 2011
- Facebook Lands Prison Guards, Prisoners in Hot Water, April 15, 2011
- Federal Restitution Law Failing Crime Victims, Jan. 15, 2011
More from these topics:
- $13 Million Awarded to Exonerated Illinois Prisoner Tortured to Confess by Corrupt Cops, Aug. 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Wrongful Conviction, Certificate of Innocence, False Imprisonment, Confessions - Coerced.
- San Diego Guard Who Fatally Shot Fleeing Detainee Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison, July 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Shootings, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Excessive Force (Police), Wrongful Use of Force.
- Safety of “The Wrap” Restraint Device Questioned Amid Fatalities and Criticism From Medical Experts, July 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Failure to Treat, Restraints, Police--Excessive Force, Federal Legislation.
- Florida Supreme Court Announces “Results” of Postconviction DNA Testing Under § 925.11 Include Underlying Testing Data Necessary for Expert Analysis, Holding That No Additional Burden Applies Once a Motion for Testing Has Been Granted, June 1, 2026. DNA Testing/Samples, Disclosure of Records, Public Records, Forensic Sciences, Scientific Testimony or Evidence.
- Your DNA Was at the Scene, But You Weren’t: How Touch DNA Is Convicting the Innocent, June 1, 2026. DNA Testing/Samples, junk science, Wrongful Conviction, DNA Evidence, Evidence - Admissibility, Claim of Innocence.
- Jury Awards Over $24.4 Million to Kentucky Prisoner Exonerated After 22 Years, Bringing Total Payout for Him and Co-Defendant to Almost $45 Million, June 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Wrongful Conviction, Monell Liability, Fabrication of Evidence, Failure to Disclose.
- The Recycled Police Officer: Research Reveals High Cost of Ignoring Prior Misconduct, May 1, 2026. Harassment by Police, Police Misconduct, Statistics/Trends, Excessive Force (Police), Police/Govt Misconduct.
- Swabbed at Booking, Searched for Life: How Pre-Conviction DNA Collection Built a Genetic Mass Surveillance System, April 1, 2026. DNA Testing/Samples, Databases, Effects of Mass Incarceration.
- The Unintentional Informant: Household Pets as Vectors of Human DNA, March 1, 2026. DNA Testing/Samples, Forensic Sciences, DNA Evidence, Evidence - Integrity/Reliability of, Scientific Testimony or Evidence.
- “I Have Nothing to Hide”: Why Innocent People Should Never Talk to Police, March 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Actual Innocence/Claim of Innocence, Interviews/Debriefing.