At the Houston Crime Lab, a Backlog in the Thousands

The Houston Crime Lab falls behind on DNA testing -- leaving question marks on many criminal cases, including serious ones like homicide and sexual assault.

2010-11-20

November 20, 2010 (Press-News.org) The crisis in the Houston Crime Lab continues. In the most recent development, the Houston Chronicle reports the lab still has a backlog of thousands of untested rape kits dating to 1996, as well as 969 newer criminal cases awaiting DNA testing. This backlog grows at a rate of 75 unperformed tests per day.

This tale began back in November 2002 (the problems actually extend back to the 1980s), when TV news reports questioned the quality of the forensic science work in the lab. This resulted in a shakeup and an independent investigation. The final report acknowledged that while many parts of the lab produced reliable results, severe problems persisted.

"We found significant and pervasive problems with the analysis and reporting of results in a large proportion of serology and DNA cases. The Crime Lab's substandard, unreliable serology and DNA work is all the more alarming in light of the fact that it is typically performed in the most serious cases, such as homicides and sexual assaults."

And--troubling for a criminal defense lawyer--convictions for a crime such as homicide in Texas includes the death penalty as punishment.

Management at its Worst

The independent investigation paints a bleak picture of the lab's DNA section:

"By the time of the 2002 outside audit, the DNA Section was in shambles -- plagued by a leaky roof, operating for years without a line supervisor, overseen by a technical leader who had no personal experience performing DNA analysis and who lacked the qualifications required under the applicable Federal Bureau of Investigation standards, staffed by underpaid and undertrained analysts, and generating mistake-ridden and poorly documented casework."

In 2003, the New York Times, citing legal experts, labeled the lab the worst in the country.

The Chronicle reported in July 2010 that Harris County District Attorney Pat Lykos had called for an emergency city-county collaboration to handle the thousands of cases.

The Backlog Grows

In September, Irma Rios, the chemist hired to revive the lab, rejected senators' assertions that the crime lab was broken. She did concede during testimony before the Senate's Criminal Justice Committee that the lab's backlog of cases had grown along with 25,000 untested narcotics samples and 200 pending ballistics examinations.

This is a problem for those accused of serious crimes, though surely not all cases will result in exonerations. But Ernest Lee Sonnier, convicted of aggravated kidnapping and rape in Houston and sentenced to life in prison in 1986, was exonerated by new DNA testing and released in 2009.

How long will others like Sonnier have to wait for the Houston Crime Lab to be fixed?

Article provided by Scott H. Palmer, P.C.
Visit us at www.scottpalmerlaw.com

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Mental Illness Affects Punishment of Would-Be Dallas Terrorist

2010-11-20

Approximately one year ago, Hosam "Sam" Smadi parked a truck under Fountain Place office tower in downtown Dallas. He left the truck in the parking garage, walked away and entered a number into a cell phone. He expected the explosives in the truck to destroy the office building -- and kill approximately 2,000 people. Instead, he was arrested by the FBI and told that the explosives were fake. In October 2010, Smadi was sentenced to 24 years in prison for attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. Although the sentence may seem severe, it could have been longer if ...

Police Tipped Off to Parole Violator's Location by Facebook Post

2010-11-20

Of all the ways that a person can catch the attention of the police, a seemingly innocuous post on Facebook, MySpace or another social networking website is certainly not at the top of most people's lists. Many people use social networking websites to keep tabs on friends, share pictures of a night out or to just update friends and family about the everyday and seemingly mundane aspects of our life. However, it should be remembered that the Internet is a public forum, not matter what we believe our privacy settings to be. Even though our statements are aimed at a small ...

The Impact of Gender on Blood-Alcohol Content in DUI Cases

2010-11-20

A man and a woman drinking the same amount of alcohol will have different BAC levels. The women will generally be higher. The reasons for this are complex, and have a great deal to do with a women's body chemistry. Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) is the amount of alcohol in the bloodstream or on one's breath. This is the standard means of testing for levels of intoxication in DUI cases. BAC is expressed as the weight of ethanol, measured in grams, in 100 milliliters of blood, or 210 liters of breath. BAC can be measured by breath, blood or urine tests. The most ...

Push for Culture Change in Long-Term Care

2010-11-20

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates there are over 16,000 nursing homes in the United States. While the Nursing Home Reform Act was passed in 1987 to establish standards of care for nursing homes across the United States, allegations of substandard care, abuse and neglect still persist in long-term care facilities. A New York Times report notes that over 90 percent of nursing homes were cited for violations of federal health and safety regulations in 2007. In an effort to help the elderly and their families select the right nursing home, Medicare.gov ...

Commercial Motor Vehicle Texting Ban Now in Place

2010-11-20

With the rise in the use of wireless communication, there have been numerous accidents and studies detailing the dangers of texting while driving. According to the Governor's Highway Safety Association, 30 states have laws that ban texting for all drivers. Over one-third of those laws took effect in 2010. While the bans in those 30 states affect all drivers, including operators of commercial motor vehicles, the lack of laws and regulations in the 20 other states lead the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association to act. As of October 27, 2010, a federal rule will prohibit ...

Cyberbullying on the Rise

2010-11-20

With the advent of social networking and social media sites, staying connected online has become a major part of people's lives. This is especially true for teenagers. Statistics indicate that over 95 percent of teenagers have an email account and 97 percent of teens report using the Internet at home for personal or school purposes. Though online activity has many positive effects, unfortunately, the incidence and effects of bullying are also felt on the web. According to a report by the National Crime Prevention Council, 43 percent of teens have experienced some form ...

Regulations Lacking for Outpatient Surgery

2010-11-20

By some estimates, anywhere from 25 to 30 million Americans undergo surgery every year. Over one third of those surgeries require at least one night in the hospital and even more can involve a significant amount of recovery time. However, an increasing number of surgeries are performed on an outpatient basis each year, requiring no hospital stay and leaving it up to the patient to manage their own recovery. The Institute for Safety in Office-Based Surgery (ISOBS), an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing public awareness and improving the safety ...

M&S Money Study Discovers the Return of Family Meetings

2010-11-20

M&S Money has revealed the results of its latest study which shows that family meetings are back in vogue with Brits who have turned their focus on finances, instead of just the traditional family politics. The new 'family finance' study shows families across the UK are coming together to discuss everything from holidays and TVs to credit cards and broadband. The research found that the majority of family households discuss, research and plan how they spend their money together. 59% of families make all their financial decisions together before buying anything. The ...

The National Trust Museum Generates its Own Income Via Solar Cells

2010-11-20

The National Trust's carriage museum at Arlington Court is now generating its own income following one of the UK's largest installations of photo-voltaic (PV) cells on a historic building. The 113 m2 installation near Barnstaple in Devon will generate up to 6.3 megawatt hours (mWh) of energy each year, saving the museum about GBP600 from its electricity bill and generating income of around GBP2,270 per year by feeding energy back into the grid. The project has been funded by sales of National Trust Green Energy which is supplied by the charity's energy partner, ...

2entertain Announces the Release of the New Michael Parkinson DVD

2010-11-20

2entertain has announced the release of The Michael Parkinson Collection. The DVD will feature Parkinson's personal choice of the best moments from over 2000 interviews from the entire back catalogue of Parkinson. With a career spanning over 40 years, Michael Parkinson is the most successful and recognised interviewer in the country and one of the nation's favourite television personalities. For the first time ever BBC DVD offers The Michael Parkinson Collection DVD available from 22nd November. The DVD allows viewers to watch Parkie's career, all hand-picked and ...