IGX

On Thursday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said that a sweeping review found its experts used microscopic hair comparison to help identify suspects in at least 2,100 convictions from 1985 through 1999, including 27 death-penalty cases. Before the adoption of DNA testing around 2000, investigators routinely relied on visually matching hairs from suspects with those at crime scenes, but recent exonerations have cast doubt on the practice. The FBI said it would now review the 2,100 cases to see if its experts exceeded the bounds of science in their lab reports or testimony. The number under review could increase as the FBI studies more cases.

The Justice Department also said, in a rare move, that it wouldn't raise procedural objections if the defendants in these cases seek to have their convictions overturned, and that it would notify defendants—rather than just prosecutors, as is typical—of any errors found in the cases.
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