Crime and the Courtroom
Crime and the Courtroom is a unique and stimulating examination of the American criminal justice system for the authorities and supporting professionals who make criminal justice possible. We turn an observant eye toward the system’s evolving capacity to strike the delicate balance between preserving the quality of life of our citizens and protecting the rights of the accused. Hosted by one of the most respected and influential forensic experts in the United States, John M. Collins and his guests share real-world experiences and insights about the evidence, techniques, and decision-making used in the investigation, adjudication, and prevention of crime. In...
Episodes
#99: How Much Control Should Judges Have Over the Testimony of Expert Witnesses?
Judges hold tremendous power in the American criminal justice system, and possibly more power than we realize. In this episode of Crime and the Courtroom, John Collins shares his thoughts about a trend being encountered by expert witnesses …
#98: The ISHI Forensic Leadership Alliance: Looking Ahead to the 2025 Symposium
In this episode of Crime and the Courtroom, host John Collins is joined by colleagues Dr. Pamela Marshall, Julie Sikorsky, and Dr. Ray Wickenheiser to discuss their ongoing collaboration, the Forensic Leadership Alliance. The group reflects…
#97: Police Culture, Federal Funds, and Forensic Science Laboratories
John Collins examines the growing challenges facing U.S. forensic science laboratories as federal funding programs come under political pressure in Washington. Drawing on decades of experience as a former laboratory administrator and curren…
#96: Cyber Hell? A Conversation with Tom Arnold
In this episode of Crime and the Courtroom, host John Collins speaks with Tom Arnold, a leading expert in digital evidence and cyber crime investigation. Mr. Arnold has led major breach investigations involving thousands of servers and has…
#95: The Wrongful Conviction of Forensic Science and the Attack on Firearm Identification
In this episode, John Collins provides a thought-provoking and direct follow-up to episode #94, which covered the Oregon appellate court ruling in State v. Adams. In Adams, the court rejected the science of firearm identification and revers…
#94: Firearm Testimony Blocked by Oregon Appellate Court - A Call to Action
SPECIAL EPISODE: In a June 2025 decision, the Oregon Court of Appeals delivered a controversial ruling on forensic evidence admissibility in State v. Adams, a case involving a 2018 shooting in Portland. The ruling has been interpreted and r…
#93: The Highly Impressive Expert Witness - Training Priorities and Strategies
In this coaching session with John Collins, we explore specific priorities and strategies for developing professionals who give courtroom testimony as a part of their normal responsibilities. This episode is useful for accelerating the deve…
#92: Evaluating Expertise in an Era of Compromised Integrity - A Coaching Session
In this coaching session with John Collins, we discuss the problem of placing our trust in subject-matter experts in a time when it seems that integrity has gone out of style. John offers some solutions and strategies for how to be more eff…
#91: Psychopaths and Copycats - A Conversation with Dr. Jacqueline Helfgott
Jacqueline Helfgott is the Director of the Crime and Justice Research Center at Seattle University and the author of “Copycat Crime: How Media, Technology, and Digital Culture Inspire Criminal Behavior and Violence.” In this episode, Dr. He…
#90: A Conversation with Jeff Asher on Crime Data, Trends, and Reporting Challenges
John Collins speaks with Jeff Asher, a data-analytics expert and Substack writer specializing in - as Jeff puts it - crime, data, and crime data. Jeff has an impressive history working in the Department of Defense and the CIA, among others.…
#89: Dr. Nancy La Vigne - A Conversation with the Dean of Rutgers’ School of Criminal Justice
Nancy La Vigne is the Dean of the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice, based at the campus in Newark, New Jersey. In this episode of Crime and the Courtroom, John Collins and Dr. La Vigne discuss her new responsibilities at Rutgers, as well …
#88: Preventing Catastrophic Misconduct in Accredited Forensic Science Laboratories (Part 2 of 2)
In this episode, John Collins builds on the themes and recommendations covered in episode 87, with regards to forensic laboratory accreditation and its strengths and limitations. Seven policy priorities are discussed to help forensic scienc…
#87: When Catastrophic Misconduct Happens in a Forensic Science Laboratory (Part 1 of 2)
John Collins answers an email from an audience member who wonders: What’s the point of accreditation if a catastrophic failure or major act of misconduct can still happen under the radar. Season: 5 Episode: 87 Duration: 35:57 YOUTUBE CHA…
#86: Caitlin Burchill, Investigative Reporter with NBC Connecticut
Caitlin Burchill is an investigative reporter with NBC Connecticut and a proud member of the production team that created the documentary, Traces of Doubt: The Forensics of Dr. Henry Lee, which is now available in its entirety on YouTube. C…
85# Sarah Chu on Forensic Evidence and Post-Conviction Advocacy
Dr. Sarah Chu is the Director of Policy and Reform at the Perlmutter Center for Legal Justice at the Cordoza School of Law in New York. In her role at the center, she applies her own extensive background in science and public policy to take…
#84: Forensics - A Different Kind of Science, and Here's Why
In Episode 84 of Crime and the Courtroom, John Collins explores why forensic science is distinct from traditional sciences and often misunderstood. He examines how forensic methods—such as fingerprint and bullet comparisons—are rooted in st…
#83: Remembering a Forensic Science Pioneer - John Murdock
The profession of forensic science has lost one its greatest thinkers and pioneers. His name is John Murdock, and his body of work contributed to the professionalization and trustworthiness of the evidentiary analyses performed by forensic …
#82: One Officer, One Bullet, and Two Critical Lessons on Police Culture
In this inaugural episode of Crime and the Coutroom, John Collins shares what he describes as "the craziest case I ever experienced in a forensic science laboratory." As he explains, sometime in late 1995 or early 1996, John conducted what …
#81: One thing kids must learn to keep themselves safe (Update)
In this quick holiday update, John Collins shares what he argues is the one key message to teach children so that they can grow up as attentive, cautious adults who can take care of themselves.
#80: Forensic Evidence in the Luigi Mangione Investigation
John Collins discusses emerging forensic results in the investigation of the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, and why one evidentiary issue might allow the defense to make some noise. References Mangione attorney says he will …
#79: Announcing Major Change to Podcast Name and Format
A major decision has been made to expand the reach of our podcast while continuing to prioritize the challenges and opportunities facing the forensic laboratory community. In this final CoachCast update of 2024, John Collins explains the ch…
#78: CoachCast Update | How to Start Thinking Strategically
John Collins, in a special Crime Lab CoachCast update, reflects on the importance of creating conditions for the criminal justice system to be elevated by professionals with the right expertise, attitudes, and leadership skills. He emphasiz…
#77: It's Strategy Season! | Conflicts of Interest in Outside Employment
We are entering "strategy season" here at Critical Victories. John Collins discusses how to take advantage of the opportunity to plan your coming year and the positive psychological impact it can have on yourself and your organization. John…
#76: Historic DNA Analysis Breakthrough | When Technical Units Don't Play Nice
In today's coaching session, John discusses the problem of technical units and their supervisors not playing nice with their laboratory administrators, the damage this causes, and approaches to dealing with it - and preventing it - effectiv…
#75: Emotional Pain and its Threat to Quality
There are times when life confronts us with great loss or the threat of loss, and the emotions we feel can be overwhelming. Deep emotional pain, however, can have adverse effects on the brain that threaten the quality of a sufferer's work. …
#74: Interview Sabotage by Restrictive HR Policies
Coming off a recent tour of workshops and presentations on the subject, John Collins discusses the threat of excessively restrictive policies that prevent hiring managers from really getting to know their job candidates. When forensic scien…
#73: CoachCast Update - Live from AFQAM 2024
This is a Crime Lab CoachCast Update for Monday September 30, 2024. Live from the 2024 meeting of the Association of Forensic Quality Assurance Managers. Coach's Message for Today "Honorable and competent work performance arise from profes…
#72: National Association of Forensic Science Boards | Kermit Channel and Jennifer Naugle
The newest forensic science organization got off the ground in November 2023. The National Association of Forensic Science Boards is now set to host its 2nd annual meeting in Albany, New York. In this episode of the CoachCast, John speaks w…
#71: Prevent Team Insanity when Leadership Changes
Few things are harder on a team or organization than a change in executive-level leadership. The experience can leave even the best-running teams feeling like everyone has lost their minds. In this episode, we explain why it happens and how…
#70: The People You Must Not Hire
There is a particular kind of individual with a particular temperament that you must identify and eliminate from hiring consideration. Doing so will save you and your team valuable time and energy, and it will prevent the poisoning of your …
#69: True Integrity and the Challenge of Ethics
What is integrity and how does the study of ethics ensure that professionals will demonstrate integrity during the most difficult situations? The answer is that it can't. Ethics is a highly misunderstood and often misapplied field of study.…
#68: Groom and Hire Local Talent to Maximize Retention
Job satisfaction leads to higher levels of energy, which translates into better engagement and better performance. But the factors leading to one's job satisfaction are complicated and often include personal matters that are outside the con…
#67: Fill Your Leadership Positions without Delay!
In this episode of the Crime Lab CoachCast, John Collins, your host and author of HR Management in the Forensic Science Laboratory - A 21st Century Approach to Effective Crime Lab Leadership, discusses the importance of filling vacant leade…
#66: From Laboratory Leader to Chief of Staff - A Conversation with Jody Wolf
Jody Wolf is an award winning forensic laboratory veteran and former president of the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors. She is one of the few forensic laboratory administrators to climb beyond the laboratory into the police co…
#65: Getting Your Confidence Back
Confidence is the blissful feeling of self-assurance that you can handle whatever people or situations you encounter in your life and career. But you can lose it and, when you do, it can leave you feeling lost, hurting, and desperate for an…
#64: Workplace Relationships, Problems, and Solutions
Relationships are the raw materials from which teamwork is made. But what happens when problems arise in workplace relationships and what can be done to fix them? John Collins will share his thoughts about relationships within the forensic …
#63: Be Strong and Still: A Conversation About Faith with Kevin Smith
Faith is not a subject we typically associate with science, but even scientists rely on their faith to orient themselves in this world and this life. Faith is not the same as religion and is not rooted in certainty. It is something we strug…
#62: Extroversion and Introversion - Debunking the Myths
In today's episode of the Crime Lab Coach Cast, John discusses the most widely discussed element of personality, which is the extroversion/intoversion spectrum. But there are myths that need to be replaced with facts and healthier attitudes…
#61: History, Philosophy, Standards, and the Police - A Conversation with Max Houck
John speaks with forensic science veteran, educator, and philosopher, Max Houck, to discuss some of the deeper issues facing forensic science laboratories today. Join Max and John as they tackle issues such as the relationships between labo…
#60: Crisis Response and the Trust Fantasy
Bad things happen in all occupations, but when nightmares come true, it's vital that your team stick together to come out on the other side better than you were before. In this episode of the CoachCast, John Collins discusses the one mistak…