Much media attention has been given to the credibility crisis of the St. Paul Crime Lab in the past year. The front page of the February 15 issue of the St. Paul Pioneer Press now states that an independent consultant’s review of 100 cases involving tests by the St. Paul Crime Lab revealed errors in most of them, throwing thousands of convictions into doubt.
Minnesota public defenders have been quick to investigate this alarming issue, identifying over 13,000 convictions of the last decade that involved evidence tested at the lab. State Public Defender John Stuart said that public defenders are also prioritizing these cases for possible post-conviction relief, starting with those still behind bars and those whose lives have been marred by their convictions. But the improper work of the Lab also affects prosecutors. Re-tests of lab specimens by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension revealed at least two false negatives, plus the St. Paul Crime Lab failed to identify large numbers of fingerprints as suitable for criminal identification purposes. Corrective action has included a 25% budget increase by the City for the lab, as well as bringing in more advanced forensic experts.
The St. Paul Crime Lab tested samples that were used by district courts of Ramsey, Washington, and Dakota Counties, but lab testing crises like this are not unique to Minnesota. Similar quality concerns regarding crime labs have arisen in other parts of the country in recent years, including Boston, Seattle, North Carolina, and Los Angeles.
The entire article can be read here.
