The Newport Beach Public Library Foundation will present M. Chris Fabricant, author of “Junk Science and the American Criminal Justice System,” for the final Witte Lecture of the 2025 season at 7 p.m. on Friday April 18 and 2 p.m. on Saturday April 19 in the Friends Room of the Newport Beach Central Library, 1000 Avocado Ave.
Fabricant is a renowned attorney and a fierce advocate for criminal justice reform. In his compelling book, “Junk Science and the American Criminal Justice System,” Fabricant delves into the pervasive issue of flawed forensic science that has led to wrongful convictions across the United States.
By weaving together real-life case studies and meticulous research, he exposes the alarming impact of pseudo-scientific evidence on innocent lives.
Forensic scientists have long been mythologized in American popular culture as infallible crime solvers. “CSI” and other TV shows, movies and mystery novels have forensic scientists pulling together convictions with a DNA swab, a fingerprint, or a shoeprint impression. But it is an inexact science. Juries put their faith in “expert witnesses” and innocent people have been incarcerated and even executed as a result.
Tickets are available on the Newport Beach Public Library Foundation website under the Programs tab at nbplf.foundation/programs, or by calling (949) 717-3892.
The Newport Beach Public Library Foundation funds valuable library resources, programs, and services, and engages the community through the creation and sponsorship of diverse literary, cultural, and intellectual programs.
Established in 1989 as a collaborative public-private partnership with the City of Newport Beach, the Newport Beach Public Library Foundation raised over $2.2 million in private funds for the construction of the Central Library, demonstrating widespread community support for the library system.
Over the past decade, the Foundation has contributed more than $7 million to fund programs, technologies, and services for the 1.2 million people who use the four Newport Beach Library branches annually.
