Matthew R. Durose

July 29, 2008    NCJ 222181

Presents findings from the Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories, 2005. The nation's nearly 400 publicly funded forensic crime laboratories perform a variety of forensic services, including DNA testing and controlled substance identification for federal, state, and local jurisdictions. The report examines the types of forensic requests received by these labs and the resources needed to complete them. Data are also presented on crime lab budgets, personnel, accreditations, and backlogged cases. The report includes comparative analyses with findings from the 2002 census.   

Highlights include the following:

• About 8 in 10 publicly funded crime laboratories were accredited by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board in 2005.
• An estimated 359,000 cases were backlogged (not completed within 30 days) at the end of 2005, compared to 287,000 at yearend 2002.
• The nation’s forensic crime laboratories employed an estimated 12,000 full-time personnel in 2005, compared to about 11,000 in 2002.

Part of the Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories Series

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