New paper klaxon! 🎉 How can knowledge of the victim-offender relationship improve searches for disposed and concealed homicide victims in the UK? @Kirsty_MBennett @DrRachelBK @CharterForSci #ScienceandJustice sciencedirect.com/science/ar…

For more than 20 years, the public has been misled about hair-drug testing. Today, the truth is undeniable — and it comes straight from the labs themselves. An internal FDA “Request for Correction” filed by Omega Laboratories reveals a reality New Yorkers deserve to know: hair testing has never been authorized, validated, or cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Not in 2003. Not in 2010. Not today. In that filing, Omega admits: • The testing materials are not diagnostic devices • Hair testing does not fall under FDA’s authorized test-system definitions • The process has never undergone 510(k) review • No laboratory has federal scientific clearance to perform hair-drug testing • The industry exists entirely outside FDA regulatory oversight In other words: hair testing is not a federally recognized test system. Yet the NYPD — under multiple administrations — built entire career-ending decisions on it. Officers were hired, fired, disciplined, and blacklisted using an unapproved, unvalidated method that disproportionately harms Black and Latino candidates. Officers like Frankie F. Palaguachi, who became the latest victim of a system NYPD leadership knew was scientifically unstable and legally indefensible. This is not a “new discovery.” This is an almost 30-year pattern of institutional deception. Psychemedics, Omega, and every other hair-testing vendor have fought tooth and nail to avoid FDA scrutiny. Why? Because the moment a federal agency evaluates the science, the entire structure collapses. It is racialized biology dressed up as forensic certainty — a discriminatory tool that never met the baseline standards required of every other clinical test in America. New Yorkers deserve honesty. Law-enforcement officers deserve fairness. And public institutions must never rely on scientific shortcuts to mask institutional failures. This is why we fight. This is why transparency matters. And this is why the Palaguachi case is bigger than one officer — it’s about ending a decades-long misuse of pseudoscience in policing and employment. The truth is on record now. The excuses are gone. Read the letter here: FDA — OMEGA Letter Request for Correction (RFC) ASPE buff.ly/4c5eIlE #HairTesting #CivilRights #NYPD #FDA #DueProcess #Monell #DisparateImpact #Palaguachi #LawEnforcementAccountability #ScienceAndJustice #EqualProtection #UGESP #EmploymentLaw #PublicSafety #TheSandersFirmPC

“Match-and-Stop”: Why DNA Forensics Standards Differ Around the World — And Why It Matters What is “Match-and-Stop”? In forensic science, DNA is often seen as the ultimate truth. But what happens after a suspect’s DNA “matches” the crime scene evidence? In many countries, especially the U.S., law enforcement often follows a “Match-and-Stop” approach: once a DNA profile matches a suspect, the investigation slows down or even stops — assuming the case is closed. But this practice isn’t universal, and it reveals deep differences in how justice systems around the world use and trust DNA evidence. 🔬 Different countries, different rules: •Some nations require more than just a DNA match before closing cases — they demand corroborating evidence, multiple tests, and full transparency. •Others allow defense teams broad rights to retest evidence, challenge DNA findings, and demand ongoing review of complex DNA mixtures. •Many countries have independent forensic labs separate from police departments, designed to ensure impartiality and prevent bias in DNA interpretation. •By contrast, “Match-and-Stop” often happens where law enforcement controls the DNA testing process — raising concerns about bias and premature conclusions. ⚖️ Why this matters: DNA can be incredibly powerful — but it’s not infallible. Mixtures, partial profiles, and lab errors can all complicate the story behind the match. If investigations stop too soon, critical nuances might be missed, and innocent people risk being wrongfully convicted. The “Match-and-Stop” approach highlights why forensic science needs continual improvement: ✅ Independent oversight ✅ Transparent testing protocols ✅ Rights for defense retesting ✅ Deep analysis of DNA mixtures Around the world, we see a growing movement to create a new forensic ecosystem — one that balances cutting-edge science with rigorous ethics and fairness. Because justice shouldn’t rest on a single “match.” It must be built on truth, transparency, and trust. ——— Justice is complex — DNA is powerful, but never the whole story. How can we build a forensic system worthy of both? We need more transparency and independent review in forensic science — what changes do you want to see? #ForensicScience #DNA #JusticeReform #EthicalForensics #MatchAndStop #GlobalDNA #ForensicTransparency #Innocence #CriminalJustice #ScienceAndJustice

I am pleased to share that my first first-author paper has been published! #ScienceAndJustice @XantheMallett @RayNCrim @DrDilanSeckiner @BerezowskiTori @DrRachelBK @CharterForSci A Comparative Analysis of Computed Tomography, Photogrammetry, and Str... sciencedirect.com/science/ar…

6th article from my PhD thesis! 🎉 🔬 When exposed to light, titania's photocatalytic action causes rapid DNA degradation on self-cleaning glasses 🧬. Important implications for forensic casework. @DrRachelBK @CharterForSci #ScienceAndJustice doi.org/10.1016/j.scijus.202…

Free access & download to recently published #FirearmIdentification paper focusing on blank firers. #ScienceAndJustice, the hybrid & highly regarded international journal of the The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences lnkd.in/eevQgdzS

Excited to announce free access to Eduard Kolla et al.'s #ScienceAndJustice research article, this year's The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences PW Allen Award winner: titled 'Simulation-based reconstruction of traffic inciden…lnkd.in/es6tJCyG lnkd.in/eFR8hWmD

Feel so honoured that @CharterForSci & #ScienceAndJustice Editorial Team have awarded us this Commendation 🥰 love working with @DocWithTheSocs, @ForensicLeisa & our #CommunityOfPractice to support #CPD & #KnowledgeExchange within forensic practice & education. Season4 is coming!

Want to learn more about publishing journal articles &/or gain support in how to write & submit them to a journal like #ScienceAndJustice? I'm running in-person workshops in: - USA on 26th May (during AFTE Conference, Austin) - UK…lnkd.in/eAEvPZAM lnkd.in/eap4mtBK

Me too @ForensicHelenT! If anyone is interested in writing #pedagogic #learning, #teaching or #training papers in #forensic, #crimescene, #criminaljusticesystem then 2 writing workshops in running will be of interest: csofs.org/news-events/succes… #ScienceAndJustice @CharterForSci

Well, that's the 62nd Volume of The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences' #ScienceAndJustice journal complete & published! Our final issue was a Special Issue focusing on #Teaching, #Training & #Learning in #Forensic & #Crime #Sc…lnkd.in/e7XiFPqm lnkd.in/epnEtHe6

I believe in baby Luz supremacy by u/scienceandjustice on r/TheOwlHouse ift.tt/BmarH4I

"Echo correlation analysis and the acoustic evidence in the Kennedy assassination revisited." By D.B. Thomas #JFK #Scholarship #ScienceAndJustice

Great to see this work published in #ScienceAndJustice 👏🏻 well done all lnkd.in/eJ8nKPzw

Delighted our work on Structured Active Learning - improving student engagement and performance - is now available #OpenAccess with @CharterForSci special issue in #scienceandjustice Straight to paper doi.org/10.1016/j.scijus.202… Summary link.growkudos.com/1p3u7ncgj…

Feels so good travelling for work, learning, sharing & networking! If you’re at #EAFS2022 it would be great to see as many lovely faces in person as possible! #Firearm peeps, #ScienceAndJustice authors, reviewers, Editorial Team & The Chartered Society of…lnkd.in/eADJmSaj

Delighted that my latest #ScienceAndJustice research article has been published #OpenAccess (). Providing a framework to align examples of #GraduateAttributes with #skills and #competencies sought by #policing & #forensicscience em…lnkd.in/d9tJNyg8 lnkd.in/daHFrSwb

Latest #ScienceAndJustice article in press: lnkd.in/eiiHs9Bf. So proud to have the opportunity to work with all these amazing individuals - a truly #internationalcollaboration & #communityofpractice - students, practitioners, academics all working…lnkd.in/ehzBH74X

A wonderful morning spent with fab practitioners & researchers from 4 continents discussing the challenges & future of forensic science through our 4th @CharterForSci #ScienceAndJustice Research Seminar! Another next week 👏🏻recordings shared with Society members #HappyFriday!

It’s all go with the latest @CharterForSci #ScienceAndJustice Special Issue on the future of teaching, learning & training! Great number of submissions & loving working with Prof Fournet & Dr Tidy as Guest Editors. Thanks to all reviewers & submitting authors 👏🏻#RemoteForensicCSI