Author Archives: Nancy Drew

A Confession by Any Means Necessary

Posted on December 1, 2023 by Nancy Drew

As outlined in episode 7 of the Bear Brook podcast, modern understandings of human psychology help to reveal why someone may confess falsely when subjected to extreme police tactics. For example, when using the Reid technique interrogators will likely tell … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog #8: Reid Technique | Leave a comment

Evidence Faked: How Many Are Innocent?

Posted on November 17, 2023 by Nancy Drew

Sonja Farak worked at the crime lab in Amherst MA. She was tampering with the drugs she was testing. She would alter samples, fake test results, and list some tests as positive even when she did not test them. Before … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog #7: Drug Scandal | Leave a comment

Quick Info or a Good Story?

Posted on November 10, 2023 by Nancy Drew

I think the main attraction of podcasts is that they are convenient. You can listen to a podcast while in the car, working out, or even cooking. Podcasts allow people to multitask and make them feel like they are using … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog #6: Podcasts | 1 Comment

In the Interest of All?

Posted on November 3, 2023 by Nancy Drew

Although some aspects of the “war on drugs” such as the heroin-treatment program resulted in less crime, the principal result was mass incarceration of targeted groups of people. During his time in office, President Richard Nixon’s war on drugs was … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog #5: 13th | Leave a comment

Science or Bias?

Posted on October 13, 2023 by Nancy Drew

Blood pattern analysis toes a tricky line between being considered a science or not. On one hand, investigators follow the scientific method when analyzing blood patterns. In The Staircase, blood spatter analysts made observations about the blood spatters, used these … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog #3: Blood Spatter Analysis | 2 Comments

Crime or Prejudice? 18 Years Stolen

Posted on September 15, 2023 by Nancy Drew

Steven Avery served as an easy scapegoat for a deputy with a personal vendetta. The Avery family, designated outsiders in their town, marked him from birth as someone who was a delinquent. This, coupled with his repeated criminal offenses such … Continue reading →

Posted in Science of Crime | 1 Comment

Water Wipeout?

Posted on September 10, 2023 by Nancy Drew

As I attempted to make my way towards an unknown set of coordinates I passed a storage facility, drove through a neighborhood of single-family homes, and crossed a railroad track.  As I got closer, I couldn’t help but notice a … Continue reading →

Posted in Science of Crime | Leave a comment