Why do folks like True Crime stories in all their manifestations? I have been told it’s not the gore or even the unravelling of the mystery. In the end, it comes down to one thing: the “perp” getting his or her just desserts and going prison or being executed. But what if that resolution relied on JUNK SCIENCE to obtain that outcome. Those of us addicted to Law and Order or CSI love our forensic experts. But what if all, or most, of their work has little or no basis in actual verifiable science? Voice prints, bite marks, hair analysis, garbage bag creases, blood spatter, burn path, fingerprints, face recognition, ballistics, footprints, handwriting analysis, and hypnosis, are just a few. Yes, even fingerprint analysis is far from perfect. To explain it all to us is Innocence Project attorney and author M. Chris Fabricant.

(Graphic by Gabriele Wilson)