The Amer­i­can Chem­i­cal Society’s Chem­istry and the Law Divi­sion and its Foren­sic Sci­ence Co-Chairmen, Justin McShane, Esq. of Har­ris­burg, PA and Josh D. Lee, Esq. of Vinita, OK, are proud to announce a full-day pre­sen­ta­tion on the work of the Inno­cence Project.

Foren­sic Sci­ence often plays a tragic role in the con­vict­ion and wrong­ful impris­on­ment of inno­cent peo­ple. In some cases it has even lead to wrongful executions.

There have been 297 post-conviction DNA exonerations in the United States.

• The first DNA exoneration took place in 1989. Exonerations have been won in 36 states; since 2000, there have been 230 exonerations.

• 17 of the 297 people exonerated through DNA served time on death row. Another 15 were charged with capital crimes but not sentenced to death.

• The average length of time served by exonerees is 13 years. The total number of years served is approximately 3,944.

• The average age of exonerees at the time of their wrongful convictions was 27.

The Inno­cence Project fights against bad forensic science. (Regular readers of this blog will note that we have blogged on this issue in the past.  Please see: Problems with Forensic Labs.

One example of bad forensics is the use and misplaced belief in unsubstantiated forms of forensic science like bite mark analysis and microscopic hair matching.  These methods are unproven and have been known to lead to a number of wrongful convictions like in the cases of Ray Krone, Ray­mond Santana, Steven Barnes and many, many more.

This pre­sen­ta­tion will tell the first hand story of inno­cence and the causes and effects of faulty foren­sic sci­ence used in today’s courtrooms.

For more on the seminar please see the video below and Down­load the flyer.

C&EN Picks – Philadelphia National Meeting: Monday, August 20th from ACS Pressroom on Vimeo.

Justin McShane

PA DUI attorney Justin J. McShane is the President/CEO of The McShane Firm, LLC - Pennsylvania's top criminal law and DUI law firm. He is the highest rated DUI attorney in PA as rated by Avvo.com. Justin McShane is a double Board certified attorney. He is the first and so far the only Pennsylvania attorney to achieve American Bar Association recognized board certification in DUI defense from the National College for DUI Defense, Inc. He is also a Board Certified Criminal Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, a Pennsylvania Supreme Court Approved Agency.