WASHINGTON (PRWEB)
March 18, 2022

The California Court of Appeals has affirmed a lower court decision in the murder conviction of Alvin Larry Davis, ruling that DNA evidence produced through the use of STRmix™ forensic software “is generally accepted as reliable by the relevant scientific community.” (C089567; Super.Ct.No.STK-CR-FE-2016-0004780)

STRmix™ – sophisticated forensic software capable of resolving mixed DNA profiles that previously were regarded as too complex or degraded to interpret – was used in the case to link Davis to a bloodstained shoelace found next to the body of the victim, 84-year-old Hazel Dingman.

Davis was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole after being found guilty of first degree murder and other offenses by the lower court. On appeal, defense argued that evidence generated by STRmix™ and expert testimony that relied on STRmix™ to interpret DNA evidence should have been excluded under the test for the admission of new scientific evidence established by the California Supreme Court in People v. Kelly (1976 17Cal.3d24).

The Court of Appeals, however, rejected the defendant’s argument, noting that “establishing reliability is the overriding factor when a party seeks to admit evidence based on a new scientific technique.” Citing People v. Leahy (1994, 8 Cal.4th587, 612), the Court ruled that general acceptance means “a consensus drawn from a typical cross-section of the relevant, qualified scientific community. Unanimous acceptance is not required; rather, the test is met if use of the technique is supported by a clear majority of the members of that community.”

The Court of Appeals’ opinion went on to state that there was nothing in the record to suggest that the expert testimony provided during the lower court trial did not fairly and impartially assess the position of the relevant scientific community with regard to the general acceptance of the STRmix™ method.

The Court also rejected the defendant’s contention that the “black box” proprietary nature of STRmix™ prohibits the broader scientific community from fully assessing the software’s reliability. Affirming that a defendant in a criminal matter may obtain access to the STRmix™ source code under a non-disclosure agreement, the Court declared, “… a scientific technique or method need not be subject to testing and/or assessment by the scientific community at large to satisfy the requirement of general acceptance.”

Acknowledging that STRmix™ “has been used for DNA analysis since 2012 and is widely used by forensic laboratories across the world,” the decision pointed out that testimony presented at the hearing “established that the STRmix™ method has been subjected to extensive empirical testing and found to be accurate and reliable by the FBI and numerous forensic laboratories.”

STRmix™ is currently being used by 69 local, state, federal, and private forensic laboratories throughout the U.S., as well as all nine state and territory forensic laboratories in Australia and New Zealand, and 14 labs in other countries including the U.K., Ireland, Canada, Finland, Switzerland, and Denmark. In the decade since it was introduced, STRmix™ has been used to interpret DNA evidence in more than 300,000 cases worldwide.

STRmix™ works by assessing how closely multitudes of proposed DNA profiles resemble or can explain an observed DNA mixture. Relying on proven methodologies routinely used in computational biology, physics, engineering, and weather prediction, STRmix™ calculates the probability of observed DNA evidence by assuming the DNA originated from either a person of interest or an unknown donor. These two probabilities are then presented as a likelihood ratio (LR), inferring the value of the findings and level of support for one proposition over the other.

The success STRmix™ has enjoyed to date led the team behind its development to introduce two related products which when used in combination with STRmix™ complete the full workflow from analysis to interpretation and database matching:

• FaSTR™ DNA, expert forensic software which rapidly analyzes raw DNA data generated by genetic analyzers and standard profiling kits and assigns a number of contributors (NoC) estimate; and
• DBLR™, an application which when used with STRmix™ allows forensic laboratories to calculate millions of LRs in seconds, visualize the value of their DNA mixture evidence, and carry out mixture-to-mixture matches, now allowing kinship analysis.

For more information, visit http://www.strmix.com.

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DANVILLE, Ky. (PRWEB)
March 17, 2022

Recently published research from David A. Anderson at Centre College reports that the total cost of crime in the United States, including the direct costs of law enforcement, criminal justice, and victims’ losses, and the indirect costs of private deterrence, fear, and agony, and time lost to avoidance and recovery is estimated to be $4.71-5.78 trillion annually.

Compare these costs to the $3.83 trillion spent on health care (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 2020) and the $2.71 trillion spent on food and shelter (US Department of Labor 2020a) annually in the United States.

Crime prompts expenditures on prevention, recovery, justice, and corrections. This includes direct estimates of government spending, and indirect costs of incarceration to offenders and their families. The enormity of crime’s cost adds relevance to the distribution of crime’s burdens. As the broader cost implications of crime come to light, added protection or assistance for groups with inordinate burdens may be justified.

This study highlights the importance of measuring crime with costs rather than counts. While the numbers of most types of violent and property crimes have decreased since the 1990s, the average cost of those crimes increased. Estimates of crime’s burden inform public and private decisions about crime-prevention measures. Only with a better understanding of crime’s hidden costs can policy makers properly evaluate proposals for innovative approaches to policing, corrections, and crime prevention.

Source: https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/715713

For more information and a copy of the article, please contact: Professor David A. Anderson d.anderson@centre.edu

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WASHINGTON (PRWEB)
March 09, 2022

As of January 10, 2022, the Oakland (CA) Police Department Crime Laboratory began using FaSTR™ DNA, expert forensic software that rapidly analyzes DNA profiles, in its criminal investigations.

Developed by the same team that created STRmix™ – sophisticated forensic software capable of resolving mixed DNA profiles that previously were regarded as too complex or degraded to interpret – FaSTR™ DNA seamlessly integrates with STRmix™ (when in use) for even greater speed and efficiency in analysis and interpretation of complex mixed DNA profiles.

FaSTR™ DNA combines an intuitive graphical interface with easily understandable and laboratory-customizable rules to expedite the analysis of raw data generated by genetic analyzers and standard profiling kits. It also is able to assign a Number of Contributors (NoC) estimate.

The Oakland Police Department (OPD) services the community of Oakland, CA. The Criminalistics Division (Crime Lab) has twelve staff assigned to the Forensic Biology Unit. DNA Technical leadership worked with ESR to validate FaSTR™ DNA methods for use in casework. Analysis of hundreds of samples and resultant data provided staff confidence that the method was fit for its intended use and able to provide gains to efficiency. The OPD Crime Lab is proud to be on the cutting edge of onboarding new validated methods such as FaSTR™ DNA.

Recognizing the need for speed, accuracy, and simplicity in investigations, FaSTR™ DNA makes the analysis procedure easier, enabling reliable results to be achieved with minimum effort. “We believe that FaSTR™ DNA’s sophisticated user interface and comprehensive feature set will be very attractive to users looking to increase the efficiency and speed of STR profiling analysis,” explains Dr Meng-Han Lin, Senior Scientist, STRmix™ Team.

FaSTR™ DNA works by applying a set of fully configurable rules to analyze most DNA profiles automatically. For more complex DNA analyses in which the intervention of a DNA analyst is required, FaSTR™ DNA provides all details related to possible ambiguity of a peak (i.e. stutter type, stutter ratio, composite stutter, pull-up proportion, N/shoulder peak, peak morphology, low homozygote, heterozygote imbalance) and signals a requirement for the analyst to make a decision. It then records and highlights changes made by the analyst.

In combination with STRmix™ and DBLR™ – an application which can calculate millions of likelihood ratios in seconds when used with STRmix™, allowing forensic labs to undertake superfast database searches, visualize the value of DNA mixture evidence, and carry out mixture-to-mixture matches – FaSTR™ DNA completes the full workflow from analysis to interpretation and database matching. Likelihood ratios are used to assess the strength of DNA evidence and how likely it is that DNA found at a crime scene belongs to specific individuals.

The effectiveness of these solutions, coupled with the highly successful track record STRmix™ has established in producing usable, interpretable, and legally admissible DNA evidence in more than 300,000 criminal cases, has led to their widespread adoption in forensic labs worldwide.

Currently, 69 federal, state, and local agencies in the U.S. regularly use STRmix™ for DNA analyses. Internationally, nine state and territory forensic laboratories in Australia and New Zealand, and 14 labs in other countries including the U.K., Ireland, Canada, Finland, Switzerland, and Denmark now use STRmix™.

To see a brief overview of FaSTR™ DNA, visit https://vimeo.com/423795087/16f82f22b1. For more information on FaSTR™ DNA, visit https://www.strmix.com/fastr. For more information about STRmix™ products, visit http://www.strmix.com.

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ROCHESTER, N.Y. (PRWEB)
March 03, 2022

A new report conducted by nonprofit Measures for Justice and funded by the Tow Foundation, reveals that, with few exceptions, the mechanisms for criminal justice data collection and release in New York State are broken. “A Look Inside the Black Box of New York State’s Criminal Justice Data,” covers the ways New York State’s criminal justice data infrastructure fails to meet basic levels of transparency that are requisite for evidence-based decision making and general accountability.

Key findings from the report show efforts to put data to use across the state are frequently hampered by obscure systems, antiquated technologies, arduous request processes and a degree of partiality that allows data access to some and not others.

Watch the video summarizing the report and listen to audio* of interviews with key stakeholders about the state of criminal justice data in New York State

With heated criminal justice reform debates underway, there is a clear need for data that can speak to system performance. “Without access to information about the ways cases are processed through the system, practitioners, advocates, and researchers are left unequipped to make decisions necessary for their work. Moreover, the public is left in the dark about basic information pertaining to their local justice system,” noted Amy Bach, CEO of Measures for Justice.

Findings drew from a review of state law and departmental policies governing access to criminal case information as well as other sources including data sharing agreements, obtained from state agencies. Researchers conducted a series of interviews with criminal justice stakeholders throughout New York State including researchers, policy advocates, and practitioners at both the state and local levels.

In the report, a local prosecutor is quoted discussing their office’s attempts to access court data. “We’ve tried for several years to get access to the data but we can’t. We can’t even say, ‘Can you show us the available queries? Can you just tell us what you’re collecting so we can tell you what we want?’ Honestly, we’re not even sure what OCA [Office of Court Administration] collects.”

In another example, Julie Ciccolini, the Director of Law Enforcement Accountability at the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, recalled requesting case-level data from the Department of Criminal Justice Services while at her previous role at the Legal Aid Society. “It was a really difficult process with such a long waiting time that made it almost impossible to investigate certain patterns. If you wanted to figure something out and had a deadline of say, six months, that wouldn’t happen.”

The report concluded with four specific next steps that New York State should consider:

-Rethink the purpose of data collection and consider ways to more accurately account for peoples’ experience with the system.

-Establish data standards through statewide legislation and by encouraging agencies to prioritize data standardization.

-Address ad hoc transparency by mandating collection of certain data elements.

-Alleviate capacity issues by resourcing agencies tasked with data collection.

With data we have the power to uncover trends in the way cases are processed through the system, hone in on problems, and identify effective solutions. The extent to which stakeholders in New York State have difficulty obtaining data they need, either due to poor quality or a lack of accessibility, suggests that a lot of what unfolds in criminal justice agencies across the state goes unseen. This opacity prevents evidence-based discussions related to criminal justice policies and practices.

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Measures for Justice is leading a movement to change the future of criminal justice by developing tools that help communities reshape how the system works. Since 2011, Measures for Justice has worked together with communities to shine a light on what criminal justice looks like nationwide; collaborated to standardize and improve criminal justice data nationwide; and created tools, provided services, and led research to help create a criminal justice system that is fully transparent, accessible, and accountable.

*Audio clips were recorded by representatives, not the original speaker of each quote.

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SOMERVILLE, N.J. (PRWEB)
January 31, 2022

Lyons & Associates, P.C. is a rapidly growing boutique firm with its initial roots in matrimonial and family law. Recently, it also added practice areas of business and civil litigation, wills/trust/estates, real estate, elder law, and guardianship matters. Eric Marcy will join the firm as Chair of the brand new Criminal and Complex Litigation Department.

Marcy is not alone in re-examining what matters most. As of November 2021, the United States was seeing over 4 million people per month change their jobs. The COVID pandemic has dramatically altered the workplace landscape. People are reassessing and re-thinking their work and life goals. People are recognizing that dynamic change is positive and that new possibilities improve the quality of life and enthusiasm one has for one’s career.

“We have been really lucky here at Lyons & Associates,” says Managing Partner Theresa A. Lyons, Esq. who also holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work. “While many other law firms were forced to layoff lawyers, we continue to grow. It’s a testament to how hard our entire team works, as well as the reputational capital we have accumulated over the years that is now paying dividends exponentially. We are super excited to have Eric Marcy join our team.”

Eric Marcy himself enjoys a strong reputation — “I have worked in the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, and many years as a Shareholder at the Wilentz Firm working on a wide variety of criminal, civil, class action, appellate, and administrative law cases. What I have learned is that each case that I handle should be treated as the most important case. Clients experience one of the most stressful times of their life. Clients’ economic survival and oftentimes their liberty are in the hands of counsel. Clients deserve and are entitled to the absolute commitment and empathy from their attorney and I work to meet that standard with each and every client.”

Eric will work primarily out of the firm’s Somerville and Morristown offices, although his practice crosses the entire State of New Jersey, including federal courts.

Lyons & Associates, P.C. is a full-service boutique law firm with convenient offices in Somerville and Morristown, New Jersey. It boasts lawyers with backgrounds in a variety of practice areas, including family law, business litigation, real estate law, estate planning, and criminal and administrative law. The firm’s attorneys make it a goal to protect their clients. They have been featured in over 250 news and media outlets across the country. They are often recognized for their outstanding professional achievements, including being selected to Super Lawyers. For more information, please call 908-575-9777 or visit https://www.lyonspc.com.

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NEW YORK (PRWEB)
January 27, 2022

French Attorney Maître Sophie Larroque announces that Labaton Sucharow LLP, Chairman Christopher Keller, and Partners Eric Belfi, Lawrence Sucharow, current General Counsel Michael Canty and a former General Counsel of Labaton Sucharow are Defendants in a Criminal Trial in the Paris Court in Paris, France, Prosecution Index Number 21099 000303.

Maître Sophie Larroque is representing Plaintiff Gerard Sillam.

The next hearing is scheduled for March 15, 2022 at 1:30pm, 13/2th Correctional Chamber, in front of a panel of 3 Judges.

Allegedly, the Prosecutor Office of the Paris Court has confirmed in writing that French Prosecutors have recently moved against Labaton Sucharow LLP and several Partners, in a case involving the London based subsidiary of Brown Rudnick and former Partner Mr. Nicholas Tse for illegal threats and false accusations, Prosecution Index Number 21033 1000 216. Brown Rudnick London has a branch in Paris. This has happened in the light of emails sent by Mr. Canty evidencing certain fees collected by Labaton Sucharow LLP.

The Criminal Summons alleges conspiracy, aggravated fraud, perjury and forgery, in link with French and US related wrongdoings.

If found guilty in Paris, the Defendants can be sentenced up to 10 years in prison and substantially high fines, and in addition forced to pay compensation to the victims up to €25 million.

Further information will follow.

Press Contact:

Maître Sophie Larroque

Attorney-At-Law

Ph +44 7527 200830

Mail to: SophieLarroque00@gmail.com

1, Place de la République

F – 92300 – Levallois-Perret, France

Ph +33 1 55 46 50 50

The US Counsel for the plaintiffs is as follows:

Raiser & Kenniff, PC

300 Old Country Road, Suite 351

Mineola, NY 11501

Ph (516) 742-7600

Fax 516-742-7618

eFax (888) 688-1765

http://www.raiserandkenniff.com

87 Walker Street, 2nd Floor

New York, NY 10013

All parties and individuals mentioned in this press release are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a Court of Law.

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MIAMI (PRWEB)
January 10, 2022

Shipkevich, PLLC, a rapidly growing law firm specializing in capital markets, foreign exchange, debt relief and digital currency law is thrilled to announce the expansion of their Miami office with the addition of Senior Attorney, Melanie Trogolo.

Ms. Trogolo is a known litigator whose practice focuses on alternative dispute resolution, transactional matters in the global financial, Fintech, debt relief, emerging digital currency sectors, and white-collar crime.

Prior to joining the Firm, Ms. Trogolo represented a broad range of clients ranging from individuals involved in state and federal crimes, all the way to defending hospitals, physicians, and one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the United States in liability matters.

“I am overjoyed to be joining this talented team of attorneys in the firm’s quickly expanding Miami office. Under the leadership of our branch partner Krystina Endara, my goal is to continue to grow this wonderful firm and to focus on taking our white-collar crime practice to a national level,” said Ms. Trogolo.

Ms. Trogolo’s extensive experience within a broad range of practice areas makes her a well-rounded attorney who is capable of handling even the most unique and complex legal matters. Notably, Ms. Trogolo has tried over 10 jury trials to verdict and defended thousands of satisfied clients.

“Felix Shipkevich recognizes the evolving nature of today’s law firms and has been a pioneer in modernizing the way firms operate and treat their clients and attorneys,” said Ms. Trogolo.

Ms. Trogolo is the latest attorney to join Shipkevich PLLC’s Flexibility & Family First Initiative which gives attorneys the flexibility to work when and wherever they prefer.

“The reality for the majority of females in this profession is that they are forced to choose between succeeding in their career or at home if they choose to have a family. As a single mother, I would not be able to achieve what I am able to in my career and at home without the flexibility that our firm provides. This is a firm that values hard work and getting results just as much as they value their attorneys and their families,” said Ms. Trogolo.

Ms. Trogolo is fluent in both English and Spanish.

Shipkevich PLLC is a hyper-growth, forward thinking law practice with a team of world-class, diverse professionals relentlessly surpassing the outdated model of a traditional law firm.

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