No evidence? No problem!

The top-of-the-fold story in today's Denver Post is about a man who was awarded a multimillion dollar settlement. He had served ten years in prison after being convicted of killing a woman. Problem: there was no evidence whatsoever to prove he was the killer. He was convicted because of the testimony of a "forensic psychologist." It seems the young man had visions of becoming the next Stephen King, and had many violent drawings and writings.

I guess I better gather up all of son Greg's drawings right now and burn them! (Not on your life).

I have had some personal experience with forensic psychologists. I worked for a while as a "Child and Family Investigator" for the district court system in Colorado. My job was to investigate and report to the court, making recommendations about which parent or other person should be awarded how much parenting time. One case involved a man who really liked to sue people, hiring high-priced lawyers to file motion after motion. I made many visits to his beautiful upscale home and to the modest home of his ex-wife, to see them interact with the children. I had no trouble deciding that the children would be better off spending the majority of their time with their mother. The father hired a forensic psychologist, who, based soley on information provided to him by the father, never going to either home to see the parents' interactions with the children, became a hired gun for the father. I prevailed in court, but I am sure the father is still filing motions in the case many years later.