Michael J. Saks, professor at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law and Faculty Fellow at its Center for the Study of Law, Science, & Technology, was quoted in the May 7 issue of The New Yorker, in a story headlined, "The CSI Effect."
     The story, by Jeffrey Toobin, outlined the truth about forensic science, a far cry from its depiction on the popular CBS series and other television dramas. Toobin reported nearly all forensic-science tests on CSI: Crime Science Investigation, from analyses of bite marks to voices, rely on the judgments of experts and can't easily be statistically verified.
     Saks told Toobin there are two kinds of forensic science.
     "The first is very straightforward. It says, `We have a dead body. Let's see what chemicals are in the blood. Is there alcohol? Cocaine?' That is real science applied to a forensics problem," Saks said.
     "The other half of forensic science has been invented by and for police departments, and that includes fingerprints, handwriting, tool marks, tire marks, hair and fibre. All of those essentially share one belief, which is that there are no two specimens that are alike except those from the same source."
     To read the full article, go to http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/05/07/070507fa_fact_toobin.