This report to the Senate Committee on Appropriations addresses the needs of forensic service providers in the crime laboratory and medical examiner communities beyond the DNA Initiative.

It presents the recommendations of four professional organizations: (1) The National Association of Medical Examiners, (2) the American Society of Crime Lab Directors, (3) the International Association for Identification, and (4) the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

The report supports the creation of a national Forensic Science Commission to review the field’s long-term needs at all levels. It covers four areas:

• Manpower and equipment needs.
• Continuing education policies.
• Professionalism and accreditation standards.
• Collaboration among Federal, State, and local forensic science laboratories.

View the full text of Status and Needs of Forensic Science Service Providers: A Report to Congress (pdf, 34 pages)

Material from the NIJ Summit on Forensic Science Services

Each professional organization presented their formal comments at the NIJ Summit on Forensic Science Services. View the Summit agenda (pdf, 2 pages), participants (pdf, 4 pages), text of the presentations (pdf, 22 pages), and the full text of their reports:

National Association of Medical Examiners, Preliminary Report on America's Medicolegal Offices (pdf, 37 pages)
NCJ 213421, March 2006

American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors, 180-Day Study Report: Status and Needs of United States Crime Laboratories (pdf, 39 pages)
NCJ 213422, March 2006

International Association for Identification, 180-Day Study Final Report (pdf, 10 pages)
NCJ 213423, March 2006

American Academy of Forensic Sciences Response to the 180-Day Study (pdf, 44 pages)
NCJ 213424, March 2006