If it weren’t for the CBS television show “CSI”, the vast majority of people would probably have very little knowledge of this important profession. But like so much that comes out of Hollywood, the day-to-day working conditions of crime scene …
Statistics show that of 311 DNA exonerations since 1989, half were based on faulty forensic science. How’s that for a statistic? Texas has become a leader in challenging faulty forensic science, thanks a new law that allows convicted offenders to …
Detectives in Wyoming, Michigan, say that a newly opened crime lab will allow them to process evidence in a matter of a day or two, instead of waiting out the usual weeks-long process through the Michigan State Police lab. A …
Overwhelmed medical examiner systems are a prevalent and persistent problem in states across the nation, and North Carolina is no exception. In fact, a number of industry professionals are now so concerned about the heavy caseloads in the State’s crime …
From backlogged rape kits to piles of crime scene evidence going untouched for months on end, things at the Illinois State Crime Lab are not looking good. The father of a teen rape victim worries because he is told that …
The National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), which is run by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), is a national database that holds forensic ballistics evidence related to gun-related violent crimes. Although the NIBIN has been a …
Can you really replace a scalpel with a scanner? Many think so, thereby giving digital autopsies quite a bit of attention as of late. Welcome to the Future of Autopsies Although the technology is still relatively new, many entrepreneurs are …
The newly created National Commission on Forensic Science, a joint effort between the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Department of Justice was established to “strengthen and enhance” forensic science as a practice. The National Commission on Forensic …
What will the forensic laboratory look like and how will it function 15 to 20 years from now? A recent survey conducted by SmithGroupJJR, entitled Forensic Laboratory 2030, highlighted how changes in technology will affect the way forensic laboratories will …
A 2009 report to Congress by the National Academy of Sciences reported that the forensic evidence has been weakened by a lack of standards in the discipline. In other words, throughout many forensic science disciplines, forensic science personnel cannot establish …