Reading Assignment                                       Due January 28, 2009

Base your answers to these questions on your readings of Saferstein 1-2, and Chapter 15 (pages 214-229) in A Question of Evidence: A Casebook of Great Forensic Controversies, from Napoleon to O.J. by Colin Evans  Please type your responses.

1. Evans in A Question of Evidence contends that money allowed the miscarriage of justice in the O.J.Simpson case.  Do you agree with this contention?  Why or why not?  What are some instances that you seen money allow wrongs to go forward?  Explain.

2. What were the key pieces of evidence in the O.J. Simpson case?  How would you have presented them in an “airtight” manner so the defense would not be able to discredit them?

3. If money allowed O.J. Simpson to be free, as this author contends, is there something inherently unfair about our judicial system for defendants who do not have money?  Defend your views.

4. What mistakes did “the State” make in their case against O.J. Simpson?  How would you have done things instead?

5. Based upon your readings in Saferstein and the lecture by the Winona Police officer how would you have gone about collecting key evidence in the O.J. case such as the glove?  Be specific and thorough covering everything from securing the scene all the way to transferring the evidence to the lab.