Wrongful Conviction Exoneration
Definition
Cases in which a person imprisoned partly on the basis of forensic evidence, including bite-mark testimony, was later cleared, often by DNA testing, prompting review of the methods that contributed to the original conviction.
- Discipline linked
- Forensic odontology (bite-mark testimony)
- Common clearing mechanism
- DNA testing
- Consequence
- Review of the original contributing methods
Common questions
What typically prompts a review of forensic methods after an exoneration?+
Once DNA testing clears a person who was convicted partly on bite-mark or other pattern evidence, courts, oversight bodies, or professional associations often re-examine the reliability of the method used, sometimes leading to changed practice standards or restrictions on how such evidence may be presented.
Is bite-mark evidence still used in court following these exonerations?+
Its use has become far more limited and contested, with several scientific bodies raising serious doubts about the technique's validity, though jurisdictions vary in whether and how strictly it remains admissible.
Related terms
- ABFO
- American Board of Forensic Odontology: the specialty certification body in the United States that examines and certifies forensic odontologists as Diplomates, and...
- DVI (Disaster Victim Identification)
- The systematic multi-agency process for identifying victims of mass-casualty events, governed by the INTERPOL DVI Guide 2018 revision. Organises work into five...
- IOFOS
- The International Organisation for Forensic Odonto-Stomatology, the global coordinating body that links national forensic-odontology associations and sets international standards, particularly for DVI...
- NAS Report 2009
- 'Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward,' published by the National Academy of Sciences. Found that fire investigation pattern...
- PCAST Report (2016)
- The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology 2016 report on forensic science that found firearms mark analysis had not yet...