Poor People Science & Wrongful Convictions
Keith Harward was convicted of a horrific murder and served 33 years in prison based on junk science, sometimes referred to as “poor people science.” Chris Fabricant of Innocence Project explains how Harward's conviction for the heinous act was based on little more than a dentist’s testimony that his teeth matched bite marks on the deceased victim. Notwithstanding his innocence, Harward served 33 years before Fabricant and others were able win an exoneration using DNA evidence.
Forensic science is often viewed as the silver bullet in modern criminal convictions, but not all forensic science disciplines are backed by sound empirical data. Fabricant explains how junk science leads to injustice, wrongful convictions, and the failure to apprehend violent criminals responsible. He explains that the term "poor people science" refers to how the courts seem to employ one system to adjudge experts in civil cases against wealthy corporate defendants and a far more lax approach to admitting evidence against criminal defendants with limited resources. Fabricant shares how courts can unintentionally enable destructive precedent that can then lead to the wrongful imprisonment of many.
Read the book: Junk Science and the American Criminal Justice System
Learn more about the cases discussed:
- Keith Allen Harward, wrongfully convicted
- Steven Mark Chaney, wrongfully convicted
- Eddie Lee Howard, wrongfully convicted
The following interviews were also discussed in this conversation:
- Pseudoscience and Dubious Forensics with Chris Fabricant
- A Failure of Forensics with Prof. Brandon Garrett and Dr. Peter Stout
- Analyzing Death - Race and Bias in Capital Punishment with Prof. John Donohue
