Efficiency and the Cost-Effective Delivery of Forensic Science Services: Insourcing, Outsourcing, and Privatization

Maguire, Christopher; Houck, Max M.; Williams, Robin; Speaker, Paul J.

doi:10.1080/19409044.2012.734546

Cited by 27 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Of the overall backlog of evidence reported (i.e., 1 .2 million requests), forensic biology accounted for~75%, with controlled substance attributing to a more modest 12%. Though novel training [4] and funding initiatives [5] have helped to contend with the demand, forensic biology has proven to be indispensable for suspect identification, leading to a significant level of outsourcing to private labs [6,7]. While the development of higher performance analytical methods is seen as a means of accommodating the increasing number of these requests [8,9], so too are techniques that reduce the impact of other types of forensic evidence [5,10], allowing the reallocation of resources towards the more laborious biological analyses.…”

Section: A Review Of the 2009 Census For Publicly Funded Forensicmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analytical Validation of a Portable Mass Spectrometer Featuring Interchangeable, Ambient Ionization Sources for High Throughput Forensic Evidence Screening

Lawton

Traub

Fatigante

et al. 2016

J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom.

103

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Abstract. Forensic evidentiary backlogs are indicative of the growing need for costeffective, high-throughput instrumental methods. One such emerging technology that shows high promise in meeting this demand while also allowing on-site forensic investigation is portable mass spectrometric (MS) instrumentation, particularly that which enables the coupling to ambient ionization techniques. While the benefits of rapid, on-site screening of contraband can be anticipated, the inherent legal implications of field-collected data necessitates that the analytical performance of technology employed be commensurate with accepted techniques. To this end, comprehensive analytical validation studies are required before broad incorporation by forensic practitioners can be considered, and are the focus of this work. Pertinent performance characteristics such as throughput, selectivity, accuracy/precision, method robustness, and ruggedness have been investigated. Reliability in the form of false positive/negative response rates is also assessed, examining the effect of variables such as user training and experience level. To provide flexibility toward broad chemical evidence analysis, a suite of rapidly-interchangeable ion sources has been developed and characterized through the analysis of common illicit chemicals and emerging threats like substituted phenethylamines.

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Section: A Review Of the 2009 Census For Publicly Funded Forensicmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analytical Validation of a Portable Mass Spectrometer Featuring Interchangeable, Ambient Ionization Sources for High Throughput Forensic Evidence Screening

Lawton

Traub

Fatigante

et al. 2016

J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom.

103

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In order to begin to do this, appropriate metrics must be recorded throughout the criminal justice system. To monitor performance in an economic world, the criminal justice system requires something to measure that connects in a meaningful way to the decision making process and that provides evidence of the degree of success in achieving its goals or contributions (Maguire et al 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

E ‘value’ ating Forensic Science

Ludwig¹

2016

Forensic Science Policy & Management: An International Jour

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Determining how to assess the value of forensic science is complex and multifaceted. The contributions of forensic science, the impact of evidence in case processing and their effects on the criminal justice system have not been thoroughly recognised. However, the research that has been conducted to date on the effectiveness of forensic science in the criminal justice system points to its enormous potential. Notions of value differ as evidence moves through the criminal justice system, and too often the focus is just on the costs of the provision of forensic science (e.g., cost per test) alone. Analysis of a range of literature which investigate the effectiveness of investigations and the uses of forensic science often have a very limited scope of their notion of value and are dependent on the organisation they are attached to (e.g., police force, forensic service provider, governmental body). Effectiveness and efficiency are important in evaluating forensic science, however assessing value is much broader than just assessments of its costs. The closure of the Forensic Science Service Ltd. has had significant impact on the provision of forensic science in the UK in recent years. Cost effectiveness of forensic science is difficult to assess as data is hard to obtain. This article uses data published over a number of years to assess how the cost of forensic services has changed for police forces in England and Wales. Although only available at an aggregate level, it points to a shifting balance of forensic services provided "in-house" and by external providers; the market of forensic science continues to be difficult to measure.

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“…A much smaller proportion of the materials examined in the laboratory (5%) end up in court [21]. If one can expect trace evidence materials to only form a small part of the totality of the forensic materials collected at the start of the process, it is not hard to understand why managers and policy-makers have recently, and increasingly, asked whether maintaining a full service trace evidence laboratory was justifiable [23].…”

Section: (B) Cost -Benefit Issue Of Trace Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

The end of the (forensic science) world as we know it? The example of trace evidence

Roux

Talbot-Wright

Robertson

et al. 2015

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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The dominant conception of forensic science as a patchwork of disciplines primarily assisting the criminal justice system (i.e. forensics) is in crisis or at least shows a series of anomalies and serious limitations. In recent years, symptoms of the crisis have been discussed in a number of reports by various commentators, without a doubt epitomized by the 2009 report by the US National Academies of Sciences (NAS 2009 Strengthening forensic science in the United States: a path forward). Although needed, but viewed as the solution to these drawbacks, the almost generalized adoption of stricter business models in forensic science casework compounded with ever-increasing normative and compliance processes not only place additional pressures on a discipline that already appears in difficulty, but also induce more fragmentation of the different forensic science tasks, a tenet many times denounced by the same NAS report and other similar reviews. One may ask whether these issues are not simply the result of an unfit paradigm. If this is the case, the current problems faced by forensic science may indicate future significant changes for the discipline. To facilitate broader discussion this presentation focuses on trace evidence, an area that is seminal to forensic science both for epistemological and historical reasons. There is, however, little doubt that this area is currently under siege worldwide. Current and future challenges faced by trace evidence are discussed along with some possible answers. The current situation ultimately presents some significant opportunities to re-invent not only trace evidence but also forensic science. Ultimately, a distinctive, more robust and more reliable science may emerge through rethinking the forensics paradigm built on specialisms, revisiting fundamental forensic science principles and adapting them to the twenty-first century.

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Efficiency and the Cost-Effective Delivery of Forensic Science Services: Insourcing, Outsourcing, and Privatization

Cited by 27 publications

References 12 publications

Analytical Validation of a Portable Mass Spectrometer Featuring Interchangeable, Ambient Ionization Sources for High Throughput Forensic Evidence Screening

Analytical Validation of a Portable Mass Spectrometer Featuring Interchangeable, Ambient Ionization Sources for High Throughput Forensic Evidence Screening

E ‘value’ ating Forensic Science

The end of the (forensic science) world as we know it? The example of trace evidence

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