The Economist: “Forensic science: Ignorance is bliss: Forensic scientists know too much about the cases they investigate”

On January 21, 2012, The Economist published an article about systemic bias in the criminal justice system. Prosecutors routinely present expert testimony from “forensic scientists” or “criminalists.” One of the many problems with this evidence is that the criminalists are usually not independent. They work in government crime labs, and they understand the prosecutors’ theories of the cases before evaluating the evidence. Even assuming that the criminalists want to be fair and independent, it is inevitable that, under those circumstances, their opinions will be unfairly influenced to the benefit of the prosecuting authorities.