Science & Society

Scientists are fixing flawed forensics that can lead to wrongful convictions

Police lineups, fingerprinting and trace DNA techniques all need reform

Art of a police officer questioning a woman in a red dress. In the back, there are two crime scene technicians analyzing evidence. A splash of blood appears behind the woman.

Forensic science can help solve crimes, but some techniques and methods of analysis need improvement.

The Red Dress

By Amber Dance

Charles Don Flores has been facing death for 25 years.

Flores has been on death row in Texas since a murder conviction in 1999. But John Wixted, a psychologist at the University of California, San Diego, says the latest memory science suggests Flores is innocent.

The murder Flores was convicted of happened during a botched attempt to locate drug money.