The National Commission on Forensic Science and the formation of the

Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC)

ABA CRIMINAL JUSTICE SECTION

SIXTH ANNUAL FORENSIC SCIENCE SYMPOSIUM

JUNE 6, 2014, FORDHAM LAW SCHOOL

National Commission on Forensic Science

2 Meetings -February 3-4, 2014

◦-May 12-13, 2014

Co-Chairs -Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole

-Patrick Gallagher [Deputy Secretary of Commerce/ Director of National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)]

-Willie E. May [Acting Director, NIST]

National Commission on Forensic Science

Vice Chairs Nelson Santos, Drug Enforcement Administration, Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Forensic Sciences

John Butler, NISTThe Commission (30):Science Professors : 5State Appeals Court Judge: 2Federal District Judge: 1Law Professors: 3Other Professors: 2Laboratory Directors/Deputy Directors: 5Toxicologist: 1Victim’s Advocate: 1

Pathologist: 1Coroner: 1Former Chief of Detectives: 1Sheriff: 1Lawyers: 13Public Defenders: 2Federal Prosecutors: 1State & Local Prosecutors: 2Past or current SWG members: 8State Forensic Science Commissions: 3

National Commission on Forensic Science

(7) Ex-Officio Members:

- Director, Science and Technology and Assistant Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Science and Technology

- Senior Investigator and Chief, Chemistry and Drug Metabolism, National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH

- Acting Director in the Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences at the National Institute of Justice

- Laboratory Director, United States Postal Inspectors Service

- Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)

- Assistant Director of the FBI’s Office of Victim Assitance

-Director of the Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences Division at the National Science Foundation

National Commission on Forensic Science

Commission Subcommittees:◦ Accreditation and Proficiency Testing◦ Reporting and Testimony◦ Medicolegal Death Investigation◦ Training on Science and Law◦ Scientific Inquiry and Research◦ Interim Solutions

National Commission on Forensic Science

Accreditation and Proficiency Testing What is the role of accreditation and proficiency testing programs as part of a quality management system?

National Commission on Forensic Science

Reporting and Testimony Examine the variability in content across disciplines in reporting of analysis.

Consider the terminology used to describe results. Can greater uniformity reduce inconsistencies and ambiguity and provide greater clarity for practitioners and decision-makers/

National Commission on Forensic Science

Medicolegal Death Investigation The determination of cause and manner of death fall within the purview of two systems, that of the medical examiner or the coroner.

Can these systems be reconciled to a degree that meets one standard of high quality service?

National Commission on Forensic Science

Training on Science and Law Forensic science lies at the intersection of science and law. Legal professionals must seek to understand the probative value and limitations inherent in forensic science. Forensic science practitioners may provide better service to the justice system through an understanding of the procedural, substantive and cultural rubric of the law. What mechanisms can help bridge the gulf between the two?

National Commission on Forensic Science

Scientific Inquiry and Research Will consider the existing foundational research for the various disciplines in forensic science and recommend research priorities and areas appropriate for technological investment that can improve the quality and timeliness of forensic analysis.

National Commission on Forensic Science

Interim Solutions Interim Solutions Subcommittee will develop “near-term” recommendations for forensic practice◦ consistent with fundamental forensic science examination, scientific

practice, and quality management principles;◦ and may include reporting requirements, root cause analysis, defining

terminology, and language for expressing the limitations of results analyses.