The Freedom Clinic at PCLJ introduces students to the most prevalent forensic science used during the investigation and prosecution of crimes in our criminal justice system.
Objective
The objective of the Clinic is to give students a hands-on experience with the challenges associated with integrating scientific evidence into legal decision-making and provide an understanding of how courts employ this form of proof. Students learn the challenging and creative analytical thought necessary to attack or admit into evidence various forms of forensic science.
The Clinic introduces students to the fundamental underpinnings of the scientific method. Students’ assumptions of what is “valid science” are challenged, as they learn the problems associated with everything from fingerprints to blood pattern evidence to DNA.
Fieldwork
Freedom Clinic fieldwork includes fact investigation, scientific research, and litigation of actual cases for clients that the law firm of Joshua E. Dubin, Esq., P.A. represents on a pro bono basis. These cases are on behalf of individuals who we feel have been wrongfully accused of crimes they did not commit. Students also work on cases involving wrongful convictions and overly harsh sentencing.
Coursework
Classes cover subjects at the intersection of law and science, including:
- Basic methods used in various disciplines of forensic science
- Standards of admissibility of expert evidence related to forensic sciences
- How cognitive bias can impact both judges and juries in considering the admissibility and weight of forensic evidence
- The origins of various forensic sciences and how the lack of scrutiny from the scientific community led to substantial problems related to their efficacy
- How the improper application of forensic science can lead to wrongful convictions.