The FBI will
review thousands of convictions in the largest study in its history to find out
if faulty lab work led to wrongful convictions, officials say.
The focus is on
work done by hair and fiber specialists at the FBI laboratory, which does
forensic work for local and state as well as national law enforcement agencies,
The Washington Post reported. The agency plans to review all cases dating back
to at least 1985.
"The Department
and the FBI are in the process of identifying historical cases for review where
a microscopic hair examination conducted by the FBI was among the evidence in a
case that resulted in a conviction," Nanda Chitre, a Justice Department
spokeswoman, said in a statement Tuesday. "We have dedicated considerable time
and resources to addressing these issues, with the goal of reaching final
determinations in the coming months."
The Innocence
Project, which uses DNA testing to help clear the wrongly convicted, and the
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers will help with the review,
Chitre said.
