Bromwich urges reforms to avoid more lab scandals

Former U.S. Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Bromwich, whose investigation first documented flawed forensic testing in the FBI crime lab in the 1990s, weighs in here on The Washington Post’s revelation last week that many defendants were never notified of his findings.

Bromwich, who went on to expose even worse problems at the Houston Police Department Crime Lab, laments that innocent defendants had their lives ruined when they were denied crucial information with which they could challenged their wrongful convictions.

“Unfortunately, this story is not unique in our criminal justice system,” Bromwich says. He recommends several specific reforms to address what he calls “systemic failures” in the practice of forensic science in the United States.