Friday, February 27th, 2009

Evaluating Forensic Science

Flickr user chrisbb@prodigy.net

This month, the National Academy of Sciences published a report that found "serious deficiencies" in the nation's forensic science system. The report, which was mandated by Congress, found fault with the training and certification programs for forensic scientists working in crime labs around the country. The report also said that solid, peer-reviewed, published studies backing many of the techniques and tools commonly used in forensic science were lacking. The authors of the report called for the creation of an independent government agency to research and certify forensic techniques. So is CSI all washed up? We'll talk about it in this segment.