Kindle Price: $26.55

Save $10.44 (28%)

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

Follow the author

David A. Harris
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Failed Evidence: Why Law Enforcement Resists Science Kindle Edition

by David A Harris (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 22 ratings
See all formats and editions

With the popularity of crime dramas like CSI focusing on forensic science, and increasing numbers of police and prosecutors making wide-spread use of DNA, high-tech science seems to have become the handmaiden of law enforcement. But this is a myth,asserts law professor and nationally known expert on police profiling David A. Harris. In fact, most of law enforcement does not embrace science—it rejects it instead, resisting it vigorously. The question at the heart of this book is why.

»» Eyewitness identifications procedures using simultaneous lineups—showing the witness six persons together,as police have traditionally done—produces a significant number of incorrect identifications.

»» Interrogations that include threats of harsh penalties and untruths about the existence of evidence proving the suspect’s guilt significantly increase the prospect of an innocent person confessing falsely.

»» Fingerprint matching does not use probability calculations based on collected and standardized data to generate conclusions, but rather human interpretation and judgment.Examiners generally claim a zero rate of error – an untenable claim in the face of publicly known errors by the best examiners in the U.S.


Failed Evidence explores the real reasons that police and prosecutors resist scientific change, and it lays out a concrete plan to bring law enforcement into the scientific present. Written in a crisp and engaging style, free of legal and scientific jargon, Failed Evidence will explain to police and prosecutors, political leaders and policy makers, as well as other experts and anyone else who cares about how law enforcement does its job, where we should go from here. Because only if we understand why law enforcement resists science will we be able to break through this resistance and convince police and prosecutors to rely on the best that science has to offer. Justice demands no less.

Visit the author's blog here.

Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    271 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    NYU Press
  5. Publication date
    September 3, 2012
  6. File size
    2510 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
Next page
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card

Editorial Reviews

Review

"David Harris, the nation's leading expert on racial profiling, turns his attention in this timely book to exposing the flaws in three standard investigative techniques used to solve crimes: interrogations, eyewitness identifications, and forensic science. In clear, accessible language, he shows how these flaws can lead juries to convict innocent individuals. He also discusses why those in the best position to address these flaws are likely to resist reform. A must-read for anyone interested in a behind-the-scenes look at the criminal justice system." -- Cynthia Lee,Charles Kennedy Poe Research Professor of Law, George Washington University

"For readers interesting in the phenomenon of unwarranted skepticism toward science, the book's chief value lies in Harris' detailed account of social and psychological factors that cause police and prosecutors to resist science-based reforms." ― Science

"Overall, the book serves as a vital resource for those seeking to overcome the system's reliance on failed evidence by identifying sources of the problem and suggesting both quick and long-term remedies. It will help ensure the adoption of evidence-based methods that can achieve more accurate results in the nation's criminal justice system." -- Tony Bornstein ― The Champion

"This book should be required reading for every potential juror." ― Post-Gazette

"Failed Evidence is a masterful expose of both the flaws in our criminal justice system and the reasons many police and prosecutors are unwilling to correct them. If real change is to occur, would-be reformers need to ingest this book. Its prescriptions, all based on the latest scientific findings, would go a long way toward eliminating wrongful convictions and ensuring accurate verdicts." -- Christopher Slobogin,Vanderbilt University Law School

"Primarily intended for those in law enforcement, forensic science, and the legal fields, this book details potential pitfalls of the way investigative work is conducted and suggests new alternatives." ― Library Journal

"Wrongful convictions are the worst error the American criminal justice system can make. And yet in the last two decades we have learned both that we regularly convict the innocent and that, as a result of empirical advances in the social sciences, we now know what reforms are necessary to substantially decrease the risk of wrongful conviction.David Harriss well-written and engaging book, Failed Evidence: Why Law Enforcement Resists Science, brilliantly synthesizes this research and its implications, astutely connecting the dots from the reasons why wrongful convictions occur to the solutions necessary to prevent them. If there is one book that I would recommend to policymakers, criminal defense attorneys and prosecutors, police or the members of the general public about the subject of wrongful conviction, it is Failed Evidence: Why Law Enforcement Resists Science.This first rate book is brimming with insight and intelligence." -- Richard A. Leo,University of San Francisco

"Written in a crisp and engaging style, free of legal and scientific jargon." ― UTNE

About the Author

David A. Harris is Distinguished Faculty Scholar and Professor of Law at the University of Pittsburgh. He is the author of Good Cops: The Case for Preventive Policing and Profiles in Injustice: Why Racial Profiling Cannot Work. He lives in Pittsburgh.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0095VEPMO
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ NYU Press (September 3, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 3, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2510 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 271 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 22 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
David A. Harris

David A. Harris

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

David A. Harris is the Sally Ann Semenko Endowed Chair and Professor of Law at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. He teaches Criminal Law, Evidence, courses on criminal justice policy, and also a seminar on criminal justice issues based on the HBO show The Wire. Professor Harris is the host of the podcast "Criminal Injustice," available on Apple Podcast and all other major podcast apps and at www.criminalinjusticepodcast.com. The podcast features conversations between Professor Harris and leading figures in the criminal justice system; a new interview episode is available every other Tuesday, and bonus features are posted every week. Harris studies and writes about the criminal justice system and police behavior, particularly racial profiling, search and seizure, police accountability, and the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. He is the leading national authority on racial profiling. His newest book, A City Divided: Race, Fear, and the Law in Police Confrontations (2020) uses the story of a case of police/citizen violence in Pittsburgh to explore how things go wrong on the street between officers and civilians, how race and fear infect the police/citizen dynamic, and why the legal system offers little help. His other books include Profiles in Injustice: Why Racial Profiling Cannot Work (The New Press, 2002), Good Cops: The Case for Preventive Policing (The New Press, 2005), and Failed Evidence: Why Law Enforcement Resists Science (NYU Press, 2012). Professor Harris has testified testified on racial profiling, immigration enforcement, and other criminal justice issues numerous times in Congress, and he spoke at the White House about implicit racial bias in November of 2015. He is a recipient of the Jefferson Award for Public Service He lives in Pittsburgh with his family.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
22 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Dr. Robert Wm Shomer
5.0 out of 5 stars Explanation for an unfortunate law enforcement failing
Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2013
Verified Purchase
Over the last 30 years I have testified as an expert in eyewitness identification in over 1000 trials in 21 states.
I have often wondered why competent, profession law enforcement officers are so resistant to bringing their identification practices in line with the very large body of scientific knowledge in the area of eyewitness identification. Even in jurisdictions where the policies and procedures have been changed, police officers often continue to resist conducting valid identification procedures.
The attitude of many police officers, who do not get the training they should have in eyewitness identification, is to hand off a problematic eyewitness identification case to the prosecutors and they will sort it out. The prosecutor's attitude is that since the police obtained a positive identification the case should be tried.
This book identifies many of the sources of the problems in this unfortunate situation.
Robert Wm. Shomer
5 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
JR Chem
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting book
Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2013
Verified Purchase
The 1st half the book is good with lots of good examples and compelling evidence. The 2nd half of the book becomes dry and repetitious as he discusses changes that should apply. Many of these are a reiteration of what was mentioned in earlier chapters, now in lists of actions to be taken. Maybe this style is appropriate for the target audience, I stopped reading it at this point.
5 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Christopher Steuart
5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and thoughtful
Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2013
Verified Purchase
This book touches the underlying challenges that we as a society face in evaluating evidence and that most clearly challenges law enforcement to look at their prejudices and resistance to re-evaluation of long held beliefs and assumptions relating to the efficacy of police procedure. This results in police and prosecutor rejection of opportunities to apply quality control that we expect in most professions to police work.
Although a book oriented at technical processes, it is none-the-less at least for me a gripping story.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Foghorn
5.0 out of 5 stars recommended if you're interested in criminal justice reform
Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2015
Verified Purchase
Very good exposition of why, with what behavioral science teaches us about causes of false criminal convictions, the judicial system resists reform.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Readiful
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for book clubs
Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2013
My non-fiction book club LOVED discussing Failed Evidence. Of course, everyone wanted to talk about the exoneration stories, but then people moved-on to talking about their own experiences with traffic court and jury duty, and other court situations and how this book really opened their eyes about criminal cases. None of us have ever known anyone who confessed to a crime that he didn't commit, but the book told exactly how and why that happens and had numerous true examples of it. We were so disappointed to learn about the problems with fingerprint reading and line-ups because we all thought those were supposed to be tried and true. In fact, neither one is a very reliable method of positively identifying a criminal. What we really liked about the book were its lists of recommendations: Five Changes Needed to Minimize the Chances of False Confessions, Four Basic Changes for Eyewitness Identifications, etc... because those were the parts of the book that made us think about what we could do in the way of community activism. One simple recommendation was that police interrogations need to be recorded so that both the defense and the prosecution can use them. Otherwise, the police only pass along the parts that a prosecutor will use. (Some places already record them, but we don't know if our city police do.) After the discussion, I discovered that this author is available to Skype with book clubs. We would definitely have arranged that if we'd known about it. His writing style is very quick and interesting, so he must be really good in conversation. Failed Evidence: Why Law Enforcement Resists Science
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Ed Gaudelli Jr.
1.0 out of 5 stars Failed Journalism
Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2013
Verified Purchase
The author states that while there is some police corruption, it never occurs above the rank of patrolman. I guess that he has never heard of Serpico or the Knapp Commission. I think that there are probably better books out there on the subject.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Track This M.F
5.0 out of 5 stars Failed Evidence
Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2012
Readers of Failed Evidence will recognize some valid arguments about the pressing need for reform. Judges, prosecutors and police need to have scientifically valid forensic results(like DNA) to arrest and sentence people with. Not questionable junk science, like bite mark evidence or death smell evidence which was introduced in the Casey Anthony murder trial. If Judges and jurors are not made aware of the dubious nature of this unscientifically validated evidence is it any wonder our justice system is broken?

Failed Evidence supports reform that could rigorously test forensic science techniques to see if they actually worked. Another key reform from David Harris's book and one widely endorsed by experts, would be to establish enforceable standards and set up a mandatory certification and accreditation process for forensic science professionals and labs.

This book is a companion to the "Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward" book. Three years ago, the influential National Academy of Sciences released a scathing report broadly condemning the work of criminal labs in the U.S. Too often, the report found, forensic labs do subpar work and rely on unproven techniques such as analyzing bite marks or examining the markings on a bullet.
5 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Patrick Welcome
5.0 out of 5 stars Failed Evidence
Reviewed in Australia on July 11, 2014
Verified Purchase
Very well written, easy read and most informative. This is one of those books that if the topic is of interest to you, is not easy to put down. I am help to administer a site that is attempting to redress a miscarriage of justice (www.freesimon.com.au) and found the material very useful.
Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report