Tainting Evidence: Inside the Scandals at the FBI Crime Lab

by Phillip Wearne and John F. Kelly

Book Overview

Since the 1930s, the FBI's crime-fighting reputation has been built, in large part, on its forensic laboratory. In 1997 that reputation was shattered by an 18-month government investigation that... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0684846462
• ISBN13: 9780684846460
• Release Date: June 1998
• Publisher: Free Press
• Length: 355 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.4" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

God Bless America

How many people remember when this report hit the news? How many people have thought about it since? (show of hands) Since then, how many times have we continued to seek justice utilizing this overblown, corrupt, self-serving organ of the Federal Government? Would you want their evidence at *your* trial, should you for some inauspicious reason find yourself at the wrong end of the military-industrial-prison-pharmaceutical-industry? Read this book and I'm sure you will say, out loud, in unison, with me -- I think not! Nothing has changed since that report hit the airwaves, the FBI continues to fly by the seat of its pants, making things up as it goes along, following orders in order to make sure the prisons are full of the candidates properly chosen by those it *is* accountable to...and it hasn't been accountable to the American people for a very long time. And to think we are basing a *war* on their "evidence" -- and it's a wonder I don't believe a word of it. Frankly, this book is only the tip of the iceberg in FBI complicity and complacence in a world that has gone crazy -- but it's a very important tip. This book is very thorough, documented, professionally written and very readable. A must for the library of any professed patriot. You might want to particularly consider this book in light of the Jeffrey MacDonald case, and know that there is far, far more there than meets the eye.God bless America.

Lacking Standards and Accountability

The Inspector General's Report on the FBI Laboratory found a number of problems: examiners had given scientifically flawed, inaccurate, and overstated testimony under oath in court; altered the lab reports of examiners to give them a pro-prosecutorial slant; failed to document tests and examinations so their conclusions could not be properly checked. FBI lab management failed to check examinations and lab reports, allowed and inadequate record system, and had covered up incompetence instead of investigating them. This book goes beyond the IG's report thru reporting documents released under the Freedom of Information Act. The FBI lab has never agreed to real external scrutiny, never published the research data used for its forensic tests, never revealed the results of its own internal proficiency tests. This book is both educational and entertaining.Most forensic scientists are not independent experts; most are affiliated with police or prosecutions agencies. Their job is to build a case for the prosecution. The authors mention the TV show "Quincy"; "CSI" is a better and current example, though a drama.One example given is "voiceprints" - a unique pattern for any single individual's speech. But research by the National Academy of Sciences concluded there is no validity to this claim. Another fault is to use overstated conclusions using undefined terms such as "match" or "identical to". Its purpose is to hide information that is "discoverable". The FBI interpretation of the adversarial approach of the justice system serves neither science nor truth.The FBI system is to let a civilian scientist do the tests, but have an FBI agent testify about them in court. This prevents a defendant from confronting the witness! And their lab does not meet ASCLD/LAB accreditation criteria.Chapter 7 says that DNA typing is NOT a genetic fingerprint; to portray is as such is scientific fraud. Fingerprints are unique, DNA profiles are not. DNA typing produces a random probability match, not a definitive match. There are 3 problems in its use. It came out of regulated, pristine medical labs, but was adapted to unregulated crime labs; making a match is far from scientifically certain, it can be highly subjective; and, the means of computing statistical probability of a match was disputed. And evidence could have been both contaminated and planted. The odds of a match are created subjectively.Chapter 4 on Ruby Ridge explains it all.

A Must -Read Book for all Citizens

Tainting Evidence gives citizens a look at how government is handling their tax dollars and rendering justice on "the citizen's behalf". Some complain that this book overstates the abuses and misconduct occurring in the FBI labs and in their testimonies in court, but the real issue may be in the level of lying and self-interest that is acceptable to our society in ALL aspects of life. Our educational systems, our professional lives, and our personal lives are heavily enmeshed in the culture of lying, cheating and unfair play. With this kind of behavior at large, we allow those in power to engage in such behaviors at an even more dramatic and damaging level. Our lack of having accountability in place in our institutions and lives, leaves the door open for incredible misconduct. If we do not encourage truthfullness and honor as way of life in our country and teach the same to our children, the chances of this kind of abuse of power going unchecked is extremely high. Pat Brown/Director/Investigative Criminal Profiler/The Sexual Homicide Exchange,Inc.

Accurate portrayal of systemic problems in FBI LAB

As a forensic pathologist who was accurately quoted in the book, my read is that the authors got it right. This is a valuable book whose publication will hopefully start the FBI lab on the road to correction of its intrinsic problems. These problems are: 1. Public relations are all that is important, scientific accuracy is insignificant. 2. Quality control should not be required of the FBI lab as they believe they are always right. 3. Convictions are the measure of performance, irrespective of whether the scientific evidence supports convictions or not. I would urge everyone to read this book, whether in law enforcement or not. If this was required reading for all judges and jurors, there would be less wrongful convictions.

Interesting to read, well organized, and alarming.

Tainting Evidence is easy to read, well organized, and alarming. The book gives many new insights into our judicial system and after reading the book, the reader will wonder how many innocent people have been falsely convicted by the FBI based on evidence the FBI has tainted in its crime lab...But this book proves the FBI is solely for the prosecution, often in total disregard of peoples' rights, sometimes even inventing evidence in order to put an innocent person in prison.For those of us not involved in law enforcement or the judicial system, this book is must reading. There are a number of well-known cases which are used to show how the FBI taints evidence, but it was the story of Ruby Ridge , in particular, that brought tears to my eyes.This book is important because what happens in these famous cases happens on a daily basis to people like you and me. Read it and learn a valuable lesson.Alice Valentine