A report published February 18 by the National Academy of Sciences found that although there are “scores of talented and dedicated people serving the forensic community, […] they are often constrained by the lack of adequate resources, sound policies, and national support.” Due to these constraints, the study noted that some forensic techniques used in the U.S. crime laboratory system have evolved largely outside of scientific review and standardization, with the notable exception of DNA analysis.

The 2-year congressionally mandated study revealed problems including the lack of national standards for laboratory performance and training, as well as the absence of vigorous validation studies on commonly accepted forensic methods such as fingerprint and toolmark analysis. (more…)