On February 15, the US Department of Justice and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced plans for the National Commission on Forensic Science initiative, which will address quality issues regarding forensic evidence used in criminal cases. The Commission will develop proposals for the US attorney general and Department of Justice and will function under the guidance of the NIST. The Commission will be co-chaired by the two departments and consist of 30 members, including forensic scientists, researchers, attorneys and judges, who will convene a few times a year. Experts said the Commission’s NIST-led groups could take the place of industry groups that currently implement forensic methods. Some critics believe the current arrangement is problematic because of the lack of standard, public procedures for the technical development of methods and the relationship between the groups and the FBI and law enforcement agencies, which lead to inconsistencies in the way crime labs handle forensic evidence.

Source: The Washington Post