Friday, February 20, 2009

National Academies of Sciences Slams Crime Labs

National Academy of Sciences Finds 'Serious Deficiencies' in Nation's Crime Labs, Nat'l Acad. Crim. Defense Lawyers press release, Feb. 18, 2009:

A much anticipated report by the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) on the state of forensic science in the U.S. and its recommendations to fix a broadly flawed system was released today. Finding an inconsistent system rife with “serious deficiencies,” lacking practitioner and laboratory independence, standards, oversight, and certification, the NRC called today for major reforms, including the establishment of a wholly independent federal agency, the National Institute of Forensic Science (NIFS), to address the manifold problems with the current science and system.

This page from the National Academies of Sciences has the NAS press briefing and the full report (Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States). You can view the report free but need to pay to download it.

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