Articles Published by NIJ

An NIJ-funded study explored injury and forensic evidence in sexual assault cases using data from different types of medical examiners, laboratories, and the police.

Researchers create a metric to determine the difficulty of matching latent and known fingerprints, then link that difficulty to error rates.

There is no standard method of detailed documentation of the latent print examination process, but researchers have developed software that improves the standardization and quantifiability, implemented as part of the FBI’s Universal Latent Workstation.

The ability of Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) instruments to detect practically the entire periodic table of elements very quickly and without the complexity of other systems makes them an economic choice for forensic analysis.

Criminals track dust particles to and from virtually every crime scene, but particles on a suspect’s shoes are seldom used as evidence linking the accused to the crime. In this NIJ-supported project, researchers assert that investigators can use small par

Researchers who developed a 3-D imaging system for analyzing cartridge casings say their latest work is “a critical next step” that gives cartridge analysis more credibility by including datasets, best practices, and performance checks.

Researchers claim they have developed a prototype system that could enable “low-cost, portable, objective analysis of tool marks.”

After analyzing how ignitable liquids break down because of weathering and biological degradation in the aftermath of a fire, researchers have provided new data to fire investigators and crime labs.

By touching a cell phone, car keys, or even a pen, you are leaving behind a chemical signature that can reveal much about how you live your daily life.

In response to the National Academy of Sciences’ call for scientific data to support forensic evidence, researchers revised forensic anthropology procedures to include an “error metric” for the measurement of human skeletal remains.

Identifying a car, truck, or other vehicle that has been involved in a hit-and-run accident often depends on examining paint fragments left at the scene by the vehicle.