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Thursday, July 23, 2009
Courts - More on "Va. Special Session Called to Address Crime Lab Testimony Ruling"
Updating yesterday's ILB entry, a story today by Tom Jackman and Rosalind S. Helderman of the Washington Post implies that there may be no "quick fix." Some quotes:
Changing laws about trial testimony will not alleviate the crisis that prosecutors foresee, officials said Wednesday. Defense lawyers have begun demanding that lab analysts or breath-test technicians appear in court to explain their findings, they said. Responding to the increased demand for experts will probably take years, be expensive and require solutions that haven't been devised, those involved said."The heavy lifting, in the long haul, is going to have to come from administrative changes to the criminal justice system," said state Del. Stephen C. Shannon (D-Fairfax), a candidate for attorney general.
"I don't think there are going to be any quick and easy answers," said Pete Marone, director of Virginia's Department of Forensic Science, which performs nearly all of the lab testing and breathalyzer calibrations in the state.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on July 23, 2009 08:50 AM
Posted to Courts in general