Analysis Of The Gary Dotson Case

Forensic science has contributed to wrongful convictions and the correction of wrongful conviction by bringing to surface the issue of how involved flawed forensics has made an impact. In Gary Dotson case, false claims were made involving the forensics that was used throughout the case, in such cases as blood comparison and analysis of hairs. The correction to the field of forensics associated with allowing wrongful convictions to be overturned because it reveals the flaws in forensics that previous cases used to implement and by demonstrating how certain types of forensics are unreliable and invalid (Garrett, 2011). There are a few cases that the forensics completed mislead the jury because they were not showing the truth but rather flaws.

There was an analysis of hairs and blood comparison conducted this was done before DNA testing was established. The analysis presented two techniques used to examine the innocence of Gary and this individual provided inaccurate information regarding the case’s specific evidence. The method of hair comparison that was used is unreliable because multiple people can have the same hair type leaving room for error and inconclusive evidence. Serology is a reliable method of analysis given that the same person will always have the same blood type. Serology, is ABO testing, which was the most common method that was used by forensic analysts because it is both credible and valid. Not every method used in forensics is entirely accurate; the idea is to reduce error, and in Gary Dotson case the analysts made loads of mistakes, which in turn means bad science. The analyst made the claim that contamination must have created another blood type. Flawed forensics convicted Gary for a crime, and real science has demonstrated that an individual can be wrongfully convicted but be given freedom (Garrett, 2011). Dotson was convicted of rape in 1979 and sentenced to twenty-five to fifty years in prison. Later, DNA testing results provided Dotson his freedom when he was exonerated in 1989 (Garrett,