Making forensic science fit for justice

Abstract

This article presents a theoretically sophisticated but practically-orientated overview of the challenges of making forensic science ‘fit for’ the administration of criminal justice. A tripartite analytical structure is elucidated, comprising (1) normative foundations; (2) institutional frameworks; and (3) intellectual resources. Expounding this heuristic, scientific evidence is shown to contribute to the (always fragile) legitimacy of criminal adjudication by bolstering the law’s claims to epistemic rationality, within a broader normative framework in which considerations of justice take precedence over accurate fact-finding. Recent developments in UK forensic science policy and practice are then summarized and critically evaluated by way of comparative illustration; and it is argued that technologies of data interpretation and evidence production and transmission should be regarded as central unifying themes in any coherent conception of forensic science as an integrated field of inquiry and practice. Some practical suggestions for promoting this project are advanced. Finally, the wider implications of thinking about the fitness of forensic science for the administration of justice, as a routine activity, are directly related to forensic scientists’ professional responsibilities and the demands of intelligent policy-making in forensic science.

Keywords:

• Forensic science
• criminal justice
• theoretical foundations
• interdisciplinary methodology
• professional practice, administration and policy-making