FSCI 100

Written Assignment

False Convictions in Forensic Science

Background

As we have discussed in FSCI 100, Forensic Science is a more objective way to solve a crime. However, it isn’t perfect, and as with any science, it is constantly changing as new discoveries are made and regulations are changed. Individuals have been falsely convicted of crimes they did not commit, and sometimes the evidence presented against these individuals in court was a Forensic Science that either was not fully tested, was not properly regulated, or was performed by an examiner who did not have the necessary experience or training to make the conclusions that were made. For this assignment, you will do research on a case that involved improper use Forensic Science which led to the false conviction of an innocent person.

Instructions

· Go to the Innocence Project’s website: https://www.innocenceproject.org/cases/

· Click See All Cases at the bottom of the page

· Click on Filters and under Contributing Causes of Conviction select Unvalidated or Improper Forensic Science . You may filter further by selecting a choice under Type of Forensic Science Problem .

· A brief summary of the cases that fit your filters will be displayed. Choose a case that interests you and that will allow you to address the following in your paper:

· Describe the crime that was committed.

· Describe what the original evidence was that led to the false conviction.

· Describe how and why this original evidence led to a false conviction.

· Describe what evidence was tested and how it led to the exoneration.

· Describe how the falsely convicted individual’s life was changed due to the false conviction and exoneration.

Requirements

· Paper must adequately address all of the above points.

· APA format, including a title page, abstract, body of the paper and reference page. Please see the Stevenson Library website for information on how to use the APA format. http://stevenson.libguides.com/apastyle

· Paper must be between 750-1000 words

· 3-5 credible sources, including the Innocence Project webpage. Wikipedia, Yahoo Answers, etc are not credible sources. News sources may be used.

· Your paper must adhere to the University guidelines and policies on Academic Integrity, which can be found at http://www.stevenson.edu/_template_assets/documents/human-resources-documents/policy-manual-volume-5.pdf#page=4 . If plagiarism or other academic misconduct is suspected, whether intentional or not, an Academic Misconduct Report will be filed with Stevenson University. The consequences of the misconduct will be determined by the University.

Grading Rubric