The National Academies Testimony before Congress

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The OCGA staff

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
National Research Council
Committee on Science, Technology, and Law
Policy and Global Affairs
and
Committee on Applied and Theoretical Statistics
Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences
Committee on Identifying the Needs of the Forensic Science Community

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Congressional Briefings
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
144 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. – 2:00 p.m.
253 Russell Senate Office Bldg. – 3:15 p.m.
and
2253 Rayburn House Office Bldg. – 4:30 p.m.

on

Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States:
A Path Forward

by

Harry T. Edwards, Senior Circuit Judge and Chief Judge Emeritus, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Washington, D.C. and Co-Chair, Committee on Identifying the Needs of the Forensic Science Community, National Research Council, The National Academies

Constantine Gatsonis, Professor of Biostatistics, and Director, Center for Statistical Sciences, Brown University, Providence, R.I. and Co-Chair, Committee on Identifying the Needs of the Forensic Science Community, National Research Council, The National Academies

and

Karen Kafadar, Rudy Professor of Statistics and Physics, Department of Statistics, Indiana University, Bloomington and Member, Committee on Identifying the Needs of the Forensic Science Community, National Research Council, The National Academies

Requested by Congress in P.L. 109-108, this new report, from The National Academies, provides a detailed plan for addressing the needs of the forensic science community and gives a full account of what is needed to advance the forensic science disciplines, including upgrading of systems and organizational structures, better training, widespread adoption of uniform and enforceable best practices, and mandatory certification and accreditation programs. The report also recommends the creation of a new government entity to establish and enforce standards within the forensic science community.

These series of briefings were for members of Congress and congressional staff only. The report was publicly released on February 18, 2009 and can be found, in its entirety, on the Web site of the National Academies Press.