Research Committee Recommends Overhaul of Crime Labs

A Congressional research committee concluded Feb. 18 that U.S. crime labs need an overhaul and a new Government agency to oversee work because of serious deficiencies and lack of strict scientific standards.

A new 255-page report released Feb. 18 by the National Academy of Sciences, a private, nonprofit institution that provides policy advice under a congressional charter, says many forensic science labs are underfunded, understaffed, and have no effective oversight.

Forensic evidence is often offered in criminal prosecutions and civil litigation to support conclusions about who committed a crime and how. The research group that authored the report said that the lack of strict scientific standards raises concerns that the quality of forensic evidence presented in courtrooms today can vary unpredictably.

One issued listed in the report deals with case backlogs. With an overload of work its harder for laboratories to do as much as they could to inform investigations and avoid errors, the report says.

The report went as far to say no forensic method has been rigorously shown able to consistently, and with a high degree of certainty, demonstrate a connection between evidence and a specific individual or source.

The report, titled "Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward," recommends that Congress create and fund a new, National Institute of Forensic Science, and that local authorities should separate their crime lab work from local law enforcement offices.

The committee concluded that except in a few states, forensic laboratories are not required to meet high standards for quality assurance, nor are practitioners required to be certified. This questions the forensic science practice and its service to the justice system, the committee said. With that in mind, new national standards of training, certification, and expertise for forensic criminal work, much of which is currently done now in a city-by-city or state-by-state basis, its also on the wish list. Among the steps required for certification should be written examinations, supervised practice, proficiency testing, and adherence to a code of ethics, the committee said.

Scores of talented and dedicated people serve the forensic science community, performing vitally important work, the National Academy of Sciences said. However, "they are often constrained by lack of adequate resources, sound policies, and national support,"

But the report only recommends changes in the current forensic science community and makes recommendations for the future. The report offers no judgment about past convictions or pending cases, and it offers no view as to whether the courts should reassess cases that already have been tried.

Source: http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12589&utm_medium=etmail&utm_source=National%20Academies%20Press&utm_campaign=Forensic+Science+2&utm_content=Downloader&utm_term=