Benjamin & DesPortes

12/17/2024

Great example of how a lab should respond to a possible contamination issue

It was technically a successful scientific discovery when analysts at the Hennepin County, Minnesota, forensic science lab recognized there was a contaminant somewhere in its DNA process. That did not lessen the sense of dread.

11/18/2022

Steve Benjamin discusses the gun purchases

Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., 22, charged with murder in the deaths of three football players, purchased a rifle and a G***k 45 from Dance's Sporting Goods in Colonial Heights, Virginia.

10/11/2022

If anyone had any doubts....

NIST scientific foundation reviews address issues of accuracy, reliability and validity in forensic science.

06/01/2022

The RPD has not changed in the last 2 decades - using excessive or inappropriate force and sticking taxpayers with the bill.

The city has paid out nearly $700,000 on behalf of the Richmond Police Department to settle legal claims stemming from the 2020 racial justice protests.

04/06/2022

Chesterfield Police regularly use this tracking for extended periods (more than 30 days - sometimes for more than a year). People don't know their phones are being tracked and they can't disable the tracking.

A surveillance technique that’s become commonplace for police but is mostly unknown among the general public: cell phone location tracking.

03/14/2022

What is wrong with the legal system: "Although the science was on their side, McCrory’s lawyers were up against a criminal legal system that often favors finality over accuracy."

A famed forensic dentist recanted his testimony against Charles McCrory. He may die in prison anyway.

12/24/2021

Merry Christmas from Benjamin & DesPortes!

12/20/2021

New Scientific Evidence textbook is out! Eighth Edition - would make a great holiday gift for the law student or lawyer on your list (or anyone who loves law and science)

12/08/2021

Another great article from a public defender on the criminal justice system

Criminal defendants' rights are inconvenient for many judges, who find technical reasons to stop people from obtaining real justice in court.

12/08/2021

Public defender speaking truth about the criminal justice system

We’ve been taught to root for the police and the prosecutor.

11/15/2021

https://richmond.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/attorneys-transparency-lacking-in-agreement-for-rpd-officers-charged-with-assault-during-unrest/article_403c16b8-804f-5771-846d-a7310fcd8dbb.html

An agreement has been reached for two Richmond police officers charged with three misdemeanor counts of assault and battery during civil unrest in the summer of 2020, but details were

03/12/2021

With quotes from Steve Benjamin

Amid the many changes to Virginia's criminal justice system made in the recent General Assembly session is a new law aimed at fairer trials for persons with a mental illness