Based on the investigative reporting of a Soros Justice Media Fellow, a new CNN documentary reveals how profound flaws in forensic science have sent innocent people to prison. Reasonable Doubt: Can Crime Labs Be Trusted? examines the lack of standards, quality controls, and training at many U.S. forensic laboratories and looks at how those problems have contributed to a string of wrongful convictions across the country.
The culmination of more than a year of investigation by Ken Shiffman (CNN) and 2003 Soros Justice Media Fellow Robin Mejia (Center for Investigative Reporting), Reasonable Doubt reveals that many of the forensic sciences, such as fingerprint identification and hair analysis, have never been scientifically validated. Yet each year, people such as Riky Jackson and Jimmy Ray Bromgard, who are both profiled in this documentary, are mistakenly sent to prison even to death row based on faulty forensic evidence.
Reasonable Doubt aired January 9 at 8 pm and 11pm (ET), 5 pm and 8 pm (PT) on CNN. Check listings for additional broadcasts.
Funding for this investigation was also provided by a grant from the Ford Foundation and CIR's Investigative Venture Fund. CNN received no funding or support from OSI, the Ford Foundation, or CIR's Investigative Venture Fund for the production of the documentary.