Errors in state crime labs have been reported across the country, and now, Colorado is taking it’s turn. A new report found that the Colorado crime lab has been biased in their reports to help prosecutors convict individuals charged with DUIs.
The report found that the state DUI crime lab favored prosecutors to help them convict individuals charged with DUIs in Colorado. The state crime lab is accused of providing crime lab reports to help prosecutors get more convictions and win trials instead of reporting accurate, truthful test results in these cases.
The report also said that the state crime lab did not properly train staff for testing blood samples used in DUI cases, and that many of the crime lab that testify as experts in DUI cases are not qualified to testify and provide scientific conclusions in these criminal cases.
Criminal defense attorneys in Colorado, including the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar, said that this report shows that the state crime lab violated the rights of individuals arrested and convicted of DUIs by not providing accurate evidence in their cases and stripping them of their rights to a fair trial and due process.
The report that the state DUI crime lab is biased against people charged with DUIs could mean that many individuals have been wrongfully convicted in Colorado. If defense attorneys and other agencies are able to prove that the state crime lab made errors in their reports or favored prosecutors in DUI cases, many convicted offenders had their rights violated and may have their criminal convictions or pending charges dismissed.
Source: Denver Post, “Bias cited in Colorado DUI lab, defense lawyers plan response,” Joey Bunch, June 9, 2013
