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Former Med. Examiner Steven Hayne Back in News

Several stories about Mississippi's former forensic pathologist Dr. Steven Hayne -- he of the 1,700 autopsies a year -- have cropped up lately in the national media.

On Jan. 7, The New York Times featured "http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/08/us/questions-for-mississippi-doctor-after-thousands-of-autopsies.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0">Questions Left for Mississippi Over Doctor’s Autopsies." From the story:

During the past several months, in courthouses around Mississippi, four new petitions have been quietly submitted on behalf of people in prison arguing that they were wrongfully convicted on the basis of Dr. Hayne’s testimony. Around 10 more are expected in the coming weeks, including three by inmates on death row.

The filings, based on new information obtained as part of a lawsuit settled last spring, charge that Dr. Hayne made “numerous misrepresentations” about his qualifications as a forensic pathologist. They say that he proposed theories in his testimony that lie far outside standard forensic science. And they suggest that Mississippi officials ignored these problems, instead supporting Dr. Hayne’s prolific business.

Today, Radley Balko, the investigative reporter who has done more to expose Hayne than any other writer, published "http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/17/kathy-mabry-murder-steven-hayne-michael-west_n_2456970.html?utm_hp_ref=tw">Solving Kathy Mabry's Murder: Brutal 15-Year-Old Crime Highlights Decades-Long Mississippi Scandal" on Huffington Post (Balko previous wrote for Reason magazine, and the Jackson Free Press featured his opinion columns during that time). The story demonstrates how Hayne's forensics--and that of self-proclaimed bite-mark expert, dentist Dr. Allen West--not only contributed to incarcerating innocent people, it also probably let guilty people go free. Balko also published a "http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/17/steven-hayne-michael-west-mississippi-timeline_n_2494781.html">Timeline Of The Steven Hayne-Michael West Era In Mississippi."

This excellent reporting is a must read for anyone concerned about justice in Mississippi.

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