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Crime Labs Still in Crisis
Crime Labs Still in Crisis
by Matt Clarke
The October 2010 Prison Legal News cover story, “Crime Labs in Crisis: Shoddy Forensics Used to Secure Convictions,” provided an extensive examination of problems at crime labs nationwide. Apparently, and unfortunately, little has changed since that time.
In …
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More from this issue:
- $1.56 Million Settlement for Texas Jail Death Due to Drug Withdrawal, by Matthew Clarke
- Pharmacist Associations Take Stand Against Death Penalty, by Greg Dober
- Crime Labs Still in Crisis, by Matthew Clarke
- The Spread of Electronic Monitoring: No Quick Fix for Mass Incarceration, by James Kilgore
- News in Brief
- Maine Jail Raises Pigs to Feed Prisoners, Expands Organic Farm
- Third Circuit: Lack of Training for Jail Guards Bars Summary Judgment; $150,000 Settlement, by Mark Wilson
- Nebraska Supreme Court Upholds One-Hour Law Library Access, by Mark Wilson
- New York: Companies Settle Claims for Discriminating against Ex-Felons, by Gary Hunter
- California Supreme Court Restricts Life Without Parole Sentences for Juveniles
- Deferred Sentence Completion Automatically Restores Civil Rights in New Mexico, by Mark Wilson
- Seventh Circuit Reinstates Prisoner’s Eighth Amendment Suit; $26,875 Settlement on Remand, by Lonnie Burton
- Dismissal of Challenge to Texas City’s Sex Offender Restrictions Reversed, by Matthew Clarke
- Oregon Courts Must Give Notice before Amending Judgment, by Mark Wilson
- Civilly Committed Sex Offenders Increasingly Released in Wisconsin, by Matthew Clarke
- Lawsuit Over Suicide of Oregon Prisoner Settles for $100,000, by Mark Wilson
- Reading Death Row Prisoner’s Legal Mail States Sixth Amendment Claim, by David Reutter
- Third Circuit: No Supervisory Qualified Immunity for Prisoner Suicide, by Mark Wilson
- $345,000 Settlement in Michigan Detainee’s Suicide, by David Reutter
- Book Review: Abolishing the Broken U.S. Juvenile Justice System, by Hannah K. Gold
- San Antonio, Texas Leads the State in Jail Suicides, by Matthew Clarke
- Dismissal of Wrongfully Convicted Prisoner’s Fabricated Evidence Claims Upheld on Appeal, by David Reutter
- New York Settles Wrongful Conviction Claim for $2.7 Million, by Michael Brodheim
- Tasering Detainee as Corporal Inducement Violates Eighth Amendment, by David Reutter
- Video Shows Tulsa Jail Prisoner Subjected to “Horrific” Treatment Prior to Death
- Fifth Circuit Dismisses Female Immigration Detainees’ Sexual Assault Claims, by Matthew Clarke
- Overdose, Taser and Restraint Chair Combine to Kill Washington Prisoner
- $12,500 Settlement for Pennsylvania Prisoner Denied Medication, by David Reutter
- Report Highlights Health Concerns Related to Coal Ash Dump at Pennsylvania Prison, by David Reutter
- Locked Down, Locked Out: Why Prison Doesn’t Work and How We Can Do Better, by Maya Schenwar, by Gary Hunter
- Doctor of Death: Former Jail Physician Leaves Trail of Prisoner Deaths, Injuries, by Matthew Clarke
- Oregon Prison Guard Union Sues Mentally Ill Prisoners
- Second Circuit: Requiring Pretrial Detainees to Perform Forced Labor Unconstitutional; $15,000 Settlement on Remand, by Matthew Clarke
- Washington Enacts Wrongful Conviction Compensation Law; County Reneges on $10.5 Million Settlement with Exonerated Prisoners
- Second Circuit Affirms Muslim Prisoner’s Right Not to Drink Water during Ramadan, by Lonnie Burton
- New York Appellate Court Reverses Dismissal of Rikers Island Wrongful Death Suit, by David Reutter
- Unauthorized Oregon “Offense Surcharges” Reversed, by Mark Wilson
- Oregon: State Must Prove Defendant’s Ability to Pay Attorney Fees, by Mark Wilson
- Sixteen Maryland Prison Guards Sentenced for Severely Beating Prisoner
- Forty Defendants, Including 24 Guards, Convicted in Widespread Corruption Scandal at Baltimore City Jail, by Christopher Zoukis
- Maryland Cannot Compel Retroactive Sex Offender Registration
- Unexhausted Oregon Parole Claims Not Cognizable, by Mark Wilson
- Philadelphia Traffic Court Abolished; Seven Judges Convicted
- California Prisoner’s Conviction for Smuggling Tobacco Overturned, by Lonnie Burton
- Tenth Circuit Misses Chance to Limit Long-Term Solitary Confinement, by Derek Gilna
- Tennessee County Not Required to Pay for Medical Costs after Prisoner’s Release, by David Reutter
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Lost and Improperly Destroyed Evidence Thwarts Post-Conviction DNA Testing, by Matthew Clarke
More from Matthew Clarke:
- Federal Court Grants HRDC Preliminary Injunction Against Mail Censorship at New Mexico Jail, May 1, 2026
- Faced with Record-Breaking Jail Deaths, L.A. County Supervisors Tell Sheriff’s Department to Improve Access to Naloxone, Camera Monitoring, and Security Checks at California Jail, May 1, 2026
- Federal Court Places Medical Care in Arizona Prisons Under Receivership, May 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Upholds Liability but Reverses Damages in Lawsuit Over Illinois Warden and Investigator Using Prisoner as Bait to Catch Staff Member Raping Her, May 1, 2026
- Texas Moves to Restrict Cashless Bond and Reverse Federal Court-Ordered Misdemeanor Bail Reform, May 1, 2026
- In Texas, Harris County Commissioners Approve $1.2 Million for Fourth Study of Jail Since 2020 After Dozens of Abuse Allegations, April 1, 2026
- Texas Attorney General Clarifies Scope of Statute Requiring Outside Agency Investigation of Jail Deaths, April 1, 2026
- D.C. Judge Blocks Transfer of Biden-Commuted Federal Death Row Prisoners to “Supermax,” Citing Lack of Meaningful Due Process, April 1, 2026
- Eighth Circuit Revives Lawsuit Over Iowa Jail Detainee’s Suicide, April 1, 2026
- Groundbreaking Statistical Study of Pregnant Texas Jail Detainees Finds Over 400 Monthly, April 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- Washington Governor Fires Independent Prison Watchdog, May 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Government Misconduct, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Restraints, Administrative Detention/Segregation.
- Exonerated Texas Prisoner Entitled to $1.68 Million After 22 Years of Wrongful Incarceration, May 1, 2026. Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment, Actual Innocence/Claim of Innocence, Failure to Consult/Investigate/Raise, Expert and Opinion Testimony.
- Arrests of Unhoused People Driving Albuquerque Jail Bookings, May 1, 2026. Government Misconduct, Statistics/Trends, Jail Specific, housing, Prior Conviction/Sentence/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.
- A Critical Safeguard for the Accused: NIST’s New DNA Standard Challenges the Reliability of “Messy” Crime Scene Evidence, March 1, 2026. Crime Labs, Forensic Sciences, DNA Evidence, Evidence - Integrity/Reliability of, Scientific Testimony or Evidence.
- Michigan Claws Back $1.2 Million Paid to Wrongfully Convicted Former Prisoner, Feb. 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Wrongful Imprisonment, Qualified Immunity, Forensic Sciences, Fabrication of Evidence.
- New York State Moves to Dismiss Hundreds of Prison Sexual Assault Lawsuits, Feb. 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, DOC/BOP misconduct, Prosecutor/Attorney General Misconduct, Authority and Jurisdiction, Access To Courts.
- New York City Mayor’s Order Opening Rikers Island to ICE Declared Illegal, Jan. 1, 2026. Government Misconduct, Prosecutor/Attorney General Misconduct, Injunctions, Deportation/Removal/Exclusion, Enforcement of Immigration Laws.
- Exonerated Former Prisoner Wins Election for Chief Record Keeper in New Orleans, Jan. 1, 2026. Prisoner Legal Assistance, Juries, Public Records, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment.
- Utah Supreme Court Announces Framework for Analyzing Combined Brady and Napue Violations, Affirms Postconviction Relief in Capital Murder Case, Jan. 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Prosecutor/Attorney General Misconduct, Perjury/Perjured Testimony, Constructive/Imputed/Presumed knowledge, Brady/Giglio/Jencks Act Issues.

