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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2015 Sep 18.
Published in final edited form as: Forensic Sci Int Genet. 2015 Jun 30;18:4–20. doi: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2015.06.008

Table 1.

Summary of 13 recommendations made in the 2009 National Research Council report entitled “Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward”.

  1. Create an independent federal entity called the National Institute of Forensic Science (NIFS)

  2. Establish standard terminology to be used in reporting on and testifying about the results of forensic science investigations and establish model laboratory reports with minimum information specified

  3. Research (and publish in respected scientific journals) the validity of forensic methods, quantify limits of reliability when forensic evidence conditions vary, develop measures of uncertainty in the conclusions of forensic analyses, and automate techniques

  4. Remove public forensic laboratories from law enforcement or prosecutor’s administrative control

  5. Research human observer bias and error in forensic examinations and develop standard operating procedures to minimize potential bias and error

  6. Work with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and partners to develop tools for advancing measurement, validation, reliability, information sharing, and proficiency testing in forensic science and to establish protocols for forensic examinations, methods, and practices

  7. Mandate accreditation for all laboratories and facilities (public or private) and mandate individual certification of forensic science professionals

  8. Establish routine quality assurance and quality control procedures to ensure the accuracy of forensic analyses and the work of forensic practitioners

  9. Establish a national code of ethics for all forensic science disciplines that can be enforced through certification

  10. Improve graduate education programs with attractive scholarship and fellowship offerings and establish continuing legal education programs for law students, practitioners, and judges

  11. Improve death investigations through establishing a nationwide medical examiner system with all medicolegal autopsies being performed or supervised by a board certified forensic pathologist

  12. Work to achieve nationwide fingerprint data interoperability from Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS) and work to improve accuracy of computer algorithms used

  13. Coordinate local forensic science efforts related to homeland security with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FBI through planning and conducting preparedness exercises