The Reliability of Forensic Evidence: The Role of Ethics and Bias
Date: May 1, 2025 12:00 p.m. – 1:40 p.m.
Location: Online
Member Price: $99.00
Non-Member Price: $125.00
Section Price: $0.00
Areas of Law: Criminal Law
Earn up to 2 credits, including 2.0 in Diversity! (More Information)
Keynote
Moderator
Presenters
- Tamar Lerer, Esq.
- Office of the Public Defender, Newark
This program unpacks the forms of bias that impact forensic evidence and the ethical obligations of attorneys when dealing with cases that involve forensic science.
The stakes are high in cases involving forensic evidence. False or misleading forensic evidence can have staggering consequences for defendants and lead to wrongful convictions. Defense attorneys and prosecutors have ethical obligations to understand forensic science and challenge the use of unreliable techniques. Join this thought-provoking seminar to understand the role that bias plays in the reliability of forensic evidence and gain practical tools to ensure you are meeting the ethical obligations you have to understand, disclose and potentially challenge forensic evidence.
Learning Objectives:
- Develop an understanding of how to assess the reliability of forensic evidence, both broadly and as applied.
- Identify the impact of different types of bias in prosecutions involving forensic science, including racial bias.
- Understand the ways racial bias impacts the reliability of forensic techniques.
- Know your ethical obligations to understand, disclose and potentially challenge forensic evidence.
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