• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home Page
  • About
  • Testimonials
  • Archives
  • Missing Persons
  • Unidentified Persons
  • FAQ
  • Contact Page

Defrosting Cold Cases

Research website by Alice de Sturler

  • Cold Case Database
    • Index
      • Cases Index A-G
      • Cases Index H-N
      • Cases Index O-Z
    • Summaries
      • Case Summaries A-G
      • Case Summaries H-N
      • Case Summaries O-Z
  • Research Methods
  • How to Search for Cases
  • Case of the Month: Sharrey Lynn Case
  • Book Reviews
You are here: Home / Book Reviews / Junk Science by M. Chris Fabricant

Junk Science by M. Chris Fabricant

June 21, 2022 By Alice

Junk Science by M. Chris fabricant If you love to read about Forensic Sciences then this book by M. Chris Fabricant should be on your list.

A variety of junk sciences are discussed and how they are slowly weeded out.

The essence of Fabricant’s book is this: Can scientific evidence overturn legal precedent?

It seemed insurmountable at one point and once the ball got rolling, it did not roll nearly as fast as we wished. But, despite the slow pace we know it cannot be stopped.

There is a lot of critique online about this book. Too hard to read, about a third too long, and many complain about getting lost in the details, etc. I get it. I too found myself flipping back and rereading passages.

From the reader’s perspective it is easy to get lost in the book. The table of contents seem to split up the book in four major parts. The first three appear to be dedicated to a case per chapter and the fourth part seems to be the accumulation and summation of it all. But it isn’t.

The book reflects Fabricant’s fight to get wrongfully convicted people their day in court. It reflects how he learned about junk science, per case and per meeting, which cases featured at the time period that he describes, what the real science is, how the junk must be debunked in court, and how they made their case strategy. We travel along on this journey. With the author, we go to many meetings, explore cases, and go to court. In other words, the book lets the reader watch over Fabricant’s shoulder how he and his colleagues map their fighting for justice.

This set-up is confusing however, the passion with which Fabricant describes this journey makes up for it. We read about the debunking process through Fabricant’s eyes. The many meeting descriptions clearly reflect his frustration with the process. However, they also show the battle these lawyers fight and the people who want to hold on to the fraudulent way in which they hold on to power.

I think that part of the general confusion could have been avoided by adding a cross-referenced index, a timeline of the three major cases, and a listing of all the cases discussed in the book.

Fabricant does not point the reader to the Innocence Project‘s website, the Cardozo School of Law, or the online presence of the three major cases discussed. The book does have an epilogue, copious notes in the back, and  eight pages with colour pictures. They include crime scene photography and “marks on skin” so heads-up.

This book may not be easy to read however, it is worth your effort. We learn a lot about the Frye versus Daubert standard, how mass incarceration was not matched with more funding for public defenders, the role of Nancy Grace in the Weldon Carr case (page 121 onwards) and how evidence of Willingham’s innocence was available before his execution, but then-Governor Rick Perry just did not care. Dr. Itiel Dror discusses cognitive bias in criminal justice and how subjectivity influences your information intake. That part is particularly valid today. In short, this book shows you all the threats to the legitimacy of the justice system.

Highly recommended reading. My other book reviews are here.

Thank you for sharing!

  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: Book Reviews, M. Chris Fabricant, Wrongful Convictions

Primary Sidebar

Dina Fort

Top Posts & Pages

  • The 1975 murder of Sharron Prior
  • The Vernon-Tolland Three
  • Adam Gray: exonerated and awarded $27 million
  • Archive
  • Gina Renee Hall partial remains found

Author Notes

I write about old, unsolved cases from the pre-DNA era. They need renewed media attention. I only do research and leave active investigation of these cases to professionals.

Posts include homicides, missing and unidentified people, wrongful convictions, and forensics as related to these cases.

On book reviews: I only review select works of true crime, crime fiction, and historical fiction/mysteries. The stories have to fit my website's theme and research. It remains my prerogative to not review a book. Please check the FAQ page for more.

My databases are sorted by the victim’s last name. They are free to the public.

If you have any questions about my website please check the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, the about page, and the tabs in both menu bars. If you cannot find the answers there, please contact me.

Thank you,

Alice de Sturler

Categories

Recent Posts

  • Adam Gray: exonerated and awarded $27 million
  • Sharron Prior: DNA confirmed
  • There’s More Bodies Out There by Rick Porrello
  • Operation Identify Me: Black Notice
  • Sharron Prior: DNA and exhumation
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Subscribe to DCC by email

Enter your email address to get new posts notifications in your inbox

Copyright

If you use my work, please add a link back. Let your readers know where you found your information. I do the same for you. Thank you!

Protected by Copyscape

Copyright © 2023 ·News Pro · Genesis Framework by StudioPress · WordPress