Inquiry reveals two decades of errors in FBI forensic lab, including 45 death penalty cases

[jeblucas]

We get what we pay for. Which is basically a lot of guns.

[JonS]

In science it is called a positive stop. They weren’t looking to quantify the problem, just identify it.

Sure, and if they were trying to figure out whether the Lesser Spotted Marmoset should actually be called the Greater Spotted Marmoset, I’m totally there with you.

But they’re not. This isn’t just some abstract question of science. Shut down the labs, and find some fucking money to sort their shit out. Today. Not tomorrow, or next decade. Either that or release all the prisoners convicted using FBI lab evidence. You can’t just leave people rotting in prison based on false evidence.

Well, actually, you can. There’s a term for regimes that do that.

[brian_carnell]

Sadly, you are mistaken. You see, determining guilt or innocence is what courts do, so it is impossible to execute an innocent person. If a person is executed, it is the case that he or she is guilty as long as the convicted receive a fair trial.

For example,

Suppose a videotape shows that a man convicted of murder by a jury is really innocent. Would it violate the Constitution to allow the man to be executed? Justice Anthony M. Kennedy posed the hypothetical question during arguments at the Supreme Court Wednesday and the prompt answer from Texas Assistant Attorney General Margaret Griffey was that it would not, provided the inmate had received a fair trial in state court.

1:

[anon68952647]

Dude. You asked why they stopped after finding just a few hundred. I am saying that this limited study found something, and stopped looking, because it found something. you’re welcome.

Sure, yes, it is time to do something about it. Asking the same question, more, is not doing something about it. It is good that they stopped asking that question once the answer became obvious.

As for what we can do about it, not resorting to counterproductive and generally demeaning conversational techniques towards friendlies is usually a good first step, and definitely within our reach. As far as effective actions, maintaining allies is usually a good starting point.

The thing is a mess, so, what, other than blowing off steam here, could we do about it?

[JonS]

Fair cop.

I’m just astonished that the reaction to “Holy fuck! We have a huge problem Houston!” is anything other than “Right team; priorities have changed. We are going to sort this out, now.”