Lab implementing changes, working toward international standards

The State Crime Laboratory continues to solve crimes and make improvements as part of its mission to serve the criminal justice system and protect the public, Attorney General Roy Cooper said today.

“Quality work by the crime lab is critical to solving crimes and ensuring justice for victims and suspects,” Cooper said. “I expect the SBI to keep pursing the highest standards and the latest science.”

Raleigh – Policies and procedures used at the North Carolina State Crime Laboratory are now available to the public online, Attorney General Roy Cooper said today.

Making lab information publicly available is one of a series of recommendations implemented following an independent review commissioned by Cooper to examine past serology cases and lab practices dating from the late 1980’s. In a report completed this week, the Ombudsman to the SBI also recommended posting lab policies.

And help parents with back-to-school

The upcoming sales tax holiday will be a big help to small businesses still struggling to recover from the economic recession, says Gregg Thompson, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, (NFIB)North Carolina’s leading small-business association.

The holiday is Aug. 5-7.

According to the North Carolina Substance Improvement Project, 30,738 of the 38,423 people in prison in North Carolina need substance abuse services. It costs roughly $25,000 to send someone to prison in North Carolina, which is paid for out of tax dollars.

In 1962, the U.S. Supreme Court first ruled that addiction is an illness, not a crime, and that states may require addicts to submit to treatment, and also pursue criminal sanctions for non-compliance. Responding to an obvious need of including treatment in the judicial process with the intent of preventing addictive behavior and criminal activity, The Treatment Accountability for Safer Communities, TASC, was formed.