Dr. Madhu Kumar, a consultant with the New England Innocence Project, received his doctoral degree in biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. As a consultant, Dr. Madhu Kumar helps the New England Innocence Project spread awareness and information regarding wrongful imprisonment.

Eyewitness misidentification is by far the most common cause of wrongful convictions in the United States’ criminal justice system. Nearly 76 percent of cases overturned due to DNA evidence have involved at least one instance of an eyewitness incorrectly identifying a suspect. Experts have identified a myriad of factors that can result in a false identification, though most incidents can be attributed to the imperfect nature of human recall.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, inappropriately utilized forensic science is another common cause behind false incarceration. In recent years, the emerging field of forensic science has helped legal professionals and law enforcement officers solve a number of cases. However, certain methods and technologies have yet to be approved by the legal and scientific communities, and for good reason. Invalid science, such as bite mark analysis, has figured into more than half of US cases being reversed due to DNA evidence.