Forensic science

What is forensic science?

Forensic scientists apply scientific methods to criminal justice, focusing on the collection, examination and analysis of evidence. The field plays a crucial role in the justice system by helping to identify perpetrators, solve crimes and protect public safety. Forensic science also helps exonerate innocent people and provides judges and juries with critical information to guide legal decisions.

What is NIST's role?

NIST researchers strengthen the science behind forensic methods and standards. The goal is to ensure that evidence is collected, analyzed and communicated accurately and effectively. 

Our experts: 

• Conduct scientific research in many areas of forensic science, including DNA, seized drugs, fingerprints, digital forensics and more. 
• Review existing scientific literature to identify strengths, limitations and future needs of forensic methods, known as foundation reviews. 
• Help develop high-quality, technically sound forensic science standards that make forensic science more reliable. 
   

FORENSIC PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT

• Combating the opioid epidemic: NIST helps crime labs and first responders rapidly detect and identify opioids using an expanded identification library of unknown substances. NIST developed a suite of methods, software tools, and resources, including databases, mass spectral search tools, analytical methods, and example validation documents that forensic laboratories can adopt (or adapt) to fit their needs.
• Boosting biometrics: NIST researchers have created and curated some of the largest and most comprehensive biometric research databases, now widely used for training forensic practitioners, software validations and novel research. A collection of 10,000 fingerprints has now been fully annotated with details that will help train both human fingerprint examiners and AI tools, and using new open-source software, fingerprints can now be evaluated and sorted according to their quality, speeding up the examiner’s work. And NIST researchers have evaluated technical bias in facial recognition algorithms that have helped technology developers and vendors improve their design, function and reliability.
• Developing forensic standard reference materials: As techniques for DNA analysis have become much more sensitive, crime labs are able to detect degraded DNA or tiny amounts of DNA in mixtures. These samples can be difficult to interpret, and laboratories can use Reference Material 8043 to test their methods and train analysts. If their results match the information on the NIST data sheet, analysts can be more confident that they will correctly interpret DNA from a crime scene.
• Publishing process maps: NIST has published process maps that identify the decision points in forensic processes. They are being used to improve efficiencies, identify error-prone steps, and assist with training new investigators. They make forensic processes more resilient and more transparent to everyone involved with the criminal justice system.
• Identifying human factors: NIST, in collaboration with the National Institute of Justice, has examined how human factors influence the analysis and interpretation of friction ridge, handwriting and DNA evidence. These recommendations are helping to minimize the influence of human factors, increasing transparency during the examination process, and encouraging a culture of openness about errors, all of which result in improved analysis practices.
• Handling evidence: NIST and the Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science (OSAC) Trace Materials and Crime Scene Investigation and Reconstruction subcommittees collaborated with RTI International to produce videos to accompany the Trace Evidence Collection App, a mobile app companion to the Trace Materials Crime Scene Investigation Guide. And NIST and the National Institute of Justice formed the Evidence Management Steering Committee, which has made recommendations for handling evidence and property. With increased standardization and documentation of procedures and practices, the integrity of evidence can be better assured, thus ensuring equal treatment across the U.S. justice system.
• Measuring accident and crime scenes: Terrestrial laser scanners are used to digitize crime and accident scenes, allowing for estimating bullet trajectories, distances between fixed points (like a wall or tree), blood splatter, vehicle dimensions and location in a scene, etc. NIST has developed a low-cost procedure and software tool for periodic testing of these laser scanners to assure the quality of the data collected and provide traceability for the measurements.
• Validating forensic methods: To help laboratories put the principles of Validation in Forensic Science: Guiding Principles for the Collection and Use of Validation Data (NIST IR 8589) into practice, NIST has developed VAST (Validation Assessment Tool). VAST, currently in beta testing, helps forensic scientists use performance data for their analytical method to interpret a result given the conditions of a particular case.