Government Technology - July 2008 - (Page 28) PROBLEMS WITH DNA TESTING IN CRIME LABS LIKE HOUSTON’S ARE NOT UNCOMMON. LIFE FOR JOSIAH SUTTON when he left prison was as uncertain as the evidence that convicted him. Sutton spent the heart of his teenage life in prison for a rape he didn’t commit after the culmination of sloppy lab work and negligence by the Houston Police Department (HPD) Crime Laboratory and his defense team. Sutton could have easily been exonerated with a simple DNA test of an evidence sample. Four years after his conviction, he finally was. At age 21, Sutton walked out of prison in 2003. The Sutton case was one of more than 3,500 cases processed by the HPD Crime Lab dating back to 1980 that were reviewed by independent investigators after major problems were exposed in late 2002. The reviews found hundreds of cases where incompetence, inadequate training and resources, lack of guidance and even intentional bias on the part of a crime lab — which is not independent from the HPD — contributed to mistakes. “It’s really a complicated issue not just for this crime lab. With this crime lab, almost everything that could go wrong did go wrong,” said Marie Munier, chief of the Public Service Bureau with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, which prosecuted Sutton and others whose cases are still being examined to determine the extent of mistakes and whether they led to wrongful convictions. Some problems with the HPD Crime Lab — such as underfunding, poor staff training and close ties to police and prosecutors — also may be inherent in crime labs across the country. BY J I M M c KAY | J U S T I C E A N D P U B L I C S A F E T Y E D I T O R 28
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Technology - July 2008 Government Technology - July 2008 Point of View The Last Mile Big Picture On the Scene Four Questions for ... Generation 2.0 at Work Dangerous Convenience Tainted Justice? Are You Ready? E-Discovery Basics Smart Docs Advanced Math Online Video Blues Spectrum Personal Computing Products signal:noise Government Technology - July 2008 Government Technology - July 2008 - (Page Bellyband1) Government Technology - July 2008 - (Page Bellyband2) Government Technology - July 2008 - Government Technology - July 2008 (Page 1) Government Technology - July 2008 - Government Technology - July 2008 (Page 2) Government Technology - July 2008 - Government Technology - July 2008 (Page 3) Government Technology - July 2008 - Government Technology - July 2008 (Page 4) Government Technology - July 2008 - Government Technology - July 2008 (Page 5) Government Technology - July 2008 - Point of View (Page 6) Government Technology - July 2008 - Point of View (Page 7) Government Technology - July 2008 - The Last Mile (Page 8) Government Technology - July 2008 - The Last Mile (Page 9) Government Technology - July 2008 - Big Picture (Page 10) Government Technology - July 2008 - Big Picture (Page 11) Government Technology - July 2008 - On the Scene (Page 12) Government Technology - July 2008 - On the Scene (Page 13) Government Technology - July 2008 - Four Questions for ... (Page 14) Government Technology - July 2008 - Four Questions for ... (Page 15) Government Technology - July 2008 - Generation 2.0 at Work (Page 16) Government Technology - July 2008 - Generation 2.0 at Work (Page 17) Government Technology - July 2008 - Generation 2.0 at Work (Page 18) Government Technology - July 2008 - Generation 2.0 at Work (Page 19) Government Technology - July 2008 - Generation 2.0 at Work (Page 20) Government Technology - July 2008 - Generation 2.0 at Work (Page 21) Government Technology - July 2008 - Dangerous Convenience (Page 22) Government Technology - July 2008 - Dangerous Convenience (Page 23) Government Technology - July 2008 - Dangerous Convenience (Page 24) Government Technology - July 2008 - Dangerous Convenience (Page 25) Government Technology - July 2008 - Dangerous Convenience (Page 26) Government Technology - July 2008 - Dangerous Convenience (Page 27) Government Technology - July 2008 - Tainted Justice? (Page 28) Government Technology - July 2008 - Tainted Justice? (Page 29) Government Technology - July 2008 - Tainted Justice? (Page 30) Government Technology - July 2008 - Tainted Justice? (Page 31) Government Technology - July 2008 - Tainted Justice? (Page 32) Government Technology - July 2008 - Tainted Justice? (Page 33) Government Technology - July 2008 - Tainted Justice? (Page 34) Government Technology - July 2008 - Tainted Justice? (Page 35) Government Technology - July 2008 - Are You Ready? (Page 36) Government Technology - July 2008 - Are You Ready? (Page 37) Government Technology - July 2008 - Are You Ready? (Page 38) Government Technology - July 2008 - Are You Ready? (Page 39) Government Technology - July 2008 - Are You Ready? (Page 40) Government Technology - July 2008 - Are You Ready? (Page 41) Government Technology - July 2008 - E-Discovery Basics (Page 42) Government Technology - July 2008 - E-Discovery Basics (Page H1) Government Technology - July 2008 - E-Discovery Basics (Page H2) Government Technology - July 2008 - E-Discovery Basics (Page 43) Government Technology - July 2008 - Smart Docs (Page 44) Government Technology - July 2008 - Smart Docs (Page 45) Government Technology - July 2008 - Smart Docs (Page 46) Government Technology - July 2008 - Smart Docs (Page 47) Government Technology - July 2008 - Smart Docs (Page 48) Government Technology - July 2008 - Smart Docs (Page 49) Government Technology - July 2008 - Advanced Math (Page 50) Government Technology - July 2008 - Advanced Math (Page 51) Government Technology - July 2008 - Online Video Blues (Page 52) Government Technology - July 2008 - Online Video Blues (Page 53) Government Technology - July 2008 - Spectrum (Page 54) Government Technology - July 2008 - Personal Computing (Page 55) Government Technology - July 2008 - Products (Page 56) Government Technology - July 2008 - Products (Page 57) Government Technology - July 2008 - signal:noise (Page 58) Government Technology - July 2008 - signal:noise (Page 59) Government Technology - July 2008 - signal:noise (Page 60)
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