A local law firm, Dexter Todd and Associates, plans to conduct a study in Guyana and the wider Caribbean to determine how many people have been wrongfully convicted primarily because of the lack of forensic science evidence in light of the fact that the effectiveness of the criminal justice system depends on accuracy—its ability to convict the guilty and clear the innocent.
“We will, as a firm, commit to having that survey so that we can have an appreciation of the number of persons who have suffered at the hands of investigations that were not done correctly,” said Dr. Todd, the founder of the Georgetown-based law firm.
Todd, who holds a PhD in Law specializing in Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism made this disclosure on Monday while delivering remarks at the opening ceremony of the practical component of a forensic science course for local lawyers and security services personnel.
Neither Guyana nor the Caribbean had any statistics on unjust convictions, he revealed but noted that his law firm has access to experts in this field and will commit to carrying out such a survey.
Critical to catching criminals, he noted, is an investigation to reconstruct the past.
He pointed out that such an investigation is essential to apprehending perpetrators, adding that an investigation is only on the right track when a detective can identify who committed the crime, when and where it was committed, why they did it, and how it was done.
Importantly, he highlighted that these questions can be answered forensically.
According to him, the world is becoming less reliant on eyewitness testimonies, particularly in light of the common law maxim that “a convincing witness can also be a lying witness.”
“A convincing witness can also be a lying witness. A witness who appears to be very sure and very convincing in delivering their evidence can very well be telling an untruth.”
“Therefore, when we create a system in which we only depend on people to give us information…only for the presentation of a criminal file and, therefore, presentation at a court, we have seen time and time again that this has failed,” he said.
Todd stressed the importance of forensic science in producing unbiased results that can aid in the investigation and prosecution of criminals or exonerate an innocent person from suspicion and the testimony of witnesses. He added, “We put the two together we can, of course, be able to help free an innocent man and to catch the correct perpetrator.”
According to him, lawyers and prosecutors must be able to assist the court in coming to the right decision because “Our judges, our magistrates… they are human beings and they are prone to mistakes just like us. In order to ensure that our criminal justice system remains strong, we must also see ourselves as being able to assist the court in coming to the right decision.”
Innocent people are occasionally found guilty of crimes they did not commit because of a lack of proof, according to Stacy Ann Nwodo, who has a doctorate in forensic accounting and audit.
She said that Monday’s event signaled the start of a joint effort to combat criminality in society, and she vowed to share her team’s knowledge in the development of forensic capability with the appropriate Guyana government authorities if given the chance.
Nwodo is the Lead Managing Consultant at JJTC Consulting, the Nigeria-based firm that is spearheading the forensic science training here.
