Is DNA evidence always foolproof?

DNA strand

DNA made its first appearance in the mid-1980s, but it wasn’t until 1987 that it became an integral part of the U.S. criminal justice system. On February 5 of that year, an Orange County, Florida jury convicted serial rapist Tommy Lee Andrews after tests matched his DNA to a semen sample taken from one of…

Read More

Protect yourself from false accusations of domestic violence

False accusation of crime

Being accused of domestic violence can change your life forever, even if you are never convicted. It is one of those highly-publicized offenses that inspires powerful—and negative—emotions, so a mere accusation is enough to do irreparable damage to your reputation and future. What inspires false accusations? There are several reasons why your spouse or partner…

Read More

Assault on a police officer in New York

police assault

Assaulting a police officer is one of the more serious assault charges under New York State law. This particular crime arouses both public anger and high volumes of press coverage because the police are sworn to protect New York’s citizenry and violence against them is seen as a threat to public safety. If you are…

Read More

What is femicide?

Female homicide, or the murder of women, is what is known as “femicide.” Some scholars argue that the term should only refer to gender-biased killings while others include that categorization in the term “gendercide.” In 2009, there were 13,636 victims of homicide in the United States. The FBI has found that approximately three times as…

Read More

The crime of murder is trending upwards

increase graph

More than 35 cities currently report an increase in murder and violence over the past year. New York is no exception, with an increase of 9 percent in murders and growing concerns about the growth of gang violence in particular. The reasons for the increases are being argued among experts, but some believe that more…

Read More

Controversy Involving the Science of Shaken Baby Syndrome

baby

Recent medical studies in the area of Shaken Baby Syndrome have brought new controversy to numerous criminal cases throughout the United States.  In the past, a majority of medical experts believed that Shaken Baby Syndrome could be ruled as the cause of death in infants based solely on the presence of traumatic brain injury.  However,…

Read More