Support for Forensic Science Research Improving the Scientific Role of the National Institute of Justice (2015) / Chapter Skim
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4 Forensic Science Research at NIJ: A Blueprint for the Future
4 Forensic Science Research at NIJ: A Blueprint for the Future
Pages 61-72
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From page 61... ...
, that there is a need to develop standards and protocols across forensic disciplines and establish accreditation and certification requirements for forensic laboratories and practitioners, among others. However, it is important to acknowledge that because this report focuses only on strengthening forensic science research at NIJ, the committee's recommendations are not a panacea for the systemic problems facing forensic science (mentioned above; see also Chapter 1 and Forensic Science: Path Forward)
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From page 62... ...
Unfortunately, the current priority-setting process for forensic science R&D at NIJ is opaque and ultimately insufficient to the task. While year-to-year flexibility allows NIJ to be responsive to the field as issues arise, it provides little predictability and stability for forensic science researchers and does not allow for the development of strategies to generate meaningful change in the field, which are necessarily long term.
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From page 63... ...
In addition, it would be useful at this time to integrate the perspectives of researchers into the needs-gathering and priority-setting process in order to more efficiently and effectively identify scientific gaps and opportunities and develop an overarching forensic science research agenda. Establishing and maintaining a research advisory board comprising a broad array of scientists, including forensic science researchers and an expanded range of practitioners, would assist NIJ leadership and qualified forensic science staff in identifying and prioritizing the research needs to be used in developing a strategic plan for its forensic science program.
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From page 64... ...
The strategic plan should be based on a thorough understanding of the state of the science, an analysis of NIJ's past and current research port folios, and extensive consultation with both the research and practice communities. Recommendation 4-2: The National Institute of Justice should estab lish a research advisory board that includes a broad array of scientists,
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From page 65... ...
The research advisory board should also monitor progress in achieving the strategic plan's designated goals. BUILDING A RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE NIJ needs to be critically concerned with building the research infrastructure for forensic science, including broadening the forensic science research community and supporting the next generation of forensic science researchers.
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From page 66... ...
NIJ needs to structure these programs in a way designed to learn from these efforts and promote efficiency in laboratories on a large scale. NIJ is designated as the agency to distribute funding for these programs, and given its science mission, it could require these and other assistance grants to include a research component with the potential to bring marked increases in casework processing and accuracy and/or an evaluation component that will help provide an evidence base that could be used to improve the outcomes of future efforts.
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From page 67... ...
FUNDING STABILITY As stated in Chapter 1 and in prior National Research Council reports, given the challenges currently facing forensic science laboratories and practitioners, there is a national need for a sustained and extensive program of forensic science research to improve the validity, reliability, and breadth of forensic tools available to the criminal justice system. Regrettably, the committee believes that the current level of federal funding available to NIJ to support forensic science R&D is sorely inadequate to the task.
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From page 68... ...
IMPROVING COMMUNICATION Federal science agencies can use strategic communication as a tool to promote their investment in R&D to policy makers and the general public in order to ensure that their work is valued and supported. NIJ needs to develop a strategic communication plan for its forensic science R&D program that proactively communicates the importance of forensic science research to the advancement of a fair and effective justice system, demonstrates successes and future objectives, and estimates future savings from the creation and adoption of innovative tools and techniques.
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From page 69... ...
The agency may look to the Department of Defense's Multidisciplinary University Research Initiatives or the National Science Foundation's Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer programs for additional models to consider.3 Recommendation 4-6: In concert with the development of a strate gic plan, the National Institute of Justice should develop and imple ment a strategic communication plan that directs its messages in ways appropriate to its various constituencies. This plan should include valuable in-person activities, such as hosting national conferences and workshops.
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From page 70... ...
The committee recognizes that measuring impact will be a challenging task. Attempts to trace major innovations back to their original supporting research rarely reveal a direct flow from original investment to final impact 4 The committee defines outputs as activities or accomplishments delivered by research programs, such as papers published or methods validated.
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From page 71... ...
This determination (that is, which outputs and outcomes to measure) should flow from the strategic plan recommended above and should allow for comparison of the portfolio to the agency's mission and the community's expressed needs in terms of both substance and priorities (National Research Council, 2012)
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From page 72... ...
. In order to improve its ability to measure the impact of its R&D program, NIJ may also consider requiring laboratory assistance grantees to capture and report specific outcomes as part of its new performance management system for the DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction Program and to structure implementation so that necessary control situations exist.5 NIJ could evaluate those measures to identify the impact of previous research (i.e., if research findings -- such as more efficient processes -- are implemented into practice)
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