How Accurate are Crime Forensics? NOVA Looks for Answers

There is a startling gap between the glamorous television world of “CSI” and the gritty reality of the forensic crime lab. With few established scientific standards, no central oversight and poor regulation of examiners, forensics in the U.S. is in a state of crisis.

In Forensics on Trial, airing Wednesday, October 17 at 8:00 p.m., NOVA investigates how modern forensics, including the analysis of fingerprints, bite marks, ballistics, hair, and tool marks, can send innocent men and women to prison — and sometimes even to death row.

Shockingly, of more than 250 inmates exonerated by DNA testing over the last decade, more than 50 percent of the wrongful convictions stemmed from invalid or improperly handled forensic science. With the help of vivid recreations of actual trials and cases, such as the O.J. Simpson murder trial and the Madrid terrorist bombings, NOVA investigates today’s shaky state of crime science, as well as cutting-edge solutions that could help investigators put the real criminals behind bars.

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