Fingerprints: Understanding & Challenging Science (8/2011)
Access to these recorded training sessions and any accompanying materials is restricted to employees of federal public and community defender organizations; CJA panel attorneys who accept court appointments to federal criminal cases; and investigators, paralegals and other defense team members who work on CJA panel cases.
This presentation looks at the science behind fingerprint identification.  Learn how an expert matches one fingerprint to another and how to challenge the accuracy of the identification.  Fingerprints identification is far less reliable than previously thought and the science is far shakier than every imagined.  An interesting session which goes far beyond the science of fingerprints.   

These presentations were recorded August 18-19, 2011, during the Multi-Track Seminar in Seattle, Washington.

The seminar was designed to offer in-depth instruction in a variety of substantive criminal defense areas. The five tracks for 2011 in Seattle were: 1) Immigration with a focus on Padilla 2) Sentencing in a post-Bookerworld; 3) Experts, Forensics & Science; 4) Computer Crimes and Handling of Electronic Discovery; and 5) Drugs, Guns and Money. Tracks 1-4 were presented in four distinct hour-long time blocks. Those sessions were presented on Thursday, August 18, 2011 and then repeated on Friday, August 19, 2011. This design provided seminar participants the opportunity to attend two of the four separate tracks that took place on Thursday and Friday.

On Saturday, August 20, 2011, seminar participants had the opportunity to attend both plenary and small group breakout sessions for the 5th track, Drugs, Guns & Money. These Saturday sessions addressed topics of general interest and importance to criminal defense practitioners. Each session was presented twice so that attendees were able to attend at least two areas of interest.

The following Multi-Track presentations were recorded and are available for viewing:
  • Facebook, Myspace, The Joys/Dangers of Internet Social Networks and How to Use Them as a Litigation Tool
  • Fingerprints: Understanding & Challenging Science
  • Firearm and Toolmark Identification
  • Recidivism, Recidivism, Recidivism:  How to Mitigate Your Client's Criminal History
  • The Fine Print:  Avoiding Restrictive Conditions of Supervised Release 
  • Attacking and Understanding DNA 
  • Defending Against Armed Career Criminal & Career Offender Designations
Seminar Information
Seminar Date:
August 18, 2011
Seminar Location:
Seattle, WA
Fingerprints: Understanding & Challenging Science
Speaker Information
Robert Epstein   [ view bio ]
Individual topic purchase: Selected
Defender Services Office Training Division
Minutes: 64.00
Products
On-Demand
This Seminar is presented free of charge.