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Problems with Forensic Evidence? From David Eastman to the present day.
Justice Chris Maxwell
Hosted by:
Prof Ian Dunn AM
June 18, 2020 @ 4:45 pm - 6:30 pm
FreeLate last year, Justice Chris Maxwell called on governments around Australia to urgently change their laws, so that judges were once again authorised to consider the reliability of forensic evidence before it was shown to juries.
President of the Victorian Court of Appeal, Justice Maxwell believes innocent people may have been jailed because too much faith is placed on forensic techniques whose reliability is unproven.
David Eastman and Lindy Chamberlain are just two examples of this.
The rise of popular television shows, such as CSI and NCIS, has given many jurors the idea that forensic evidence could identify criminals with 100 per cent accuracy. As a result, when ‘CSI-style’ evidence is presented, jurors are more likely to believe it — even if the science behind it is imperfect.
Join us for a late afternoon conversation with Justice Maxwell as he raises the complexities surrounding forensic evidence.
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