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 conducted a systematic study of microcrystalline tests for emerging illicit drugs and then examined the infrared spectra of the microcrystals to create a database to mitigate subjectivity of the tests.

An NIJ-funded project provides a better understanding of the work stress and job satisfaction of individuals engaged in handling and collecting evidence.

Fiber evidence has long been an important part of criminal cases, for it can associate a suspect with a crime scene. This project details new analytical procedures that allow fiber comparisons that are more detailed than standard forensic practices.

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

Identifying a new drug that is very similar in structure to other drugs is important for investigators. Researchers in this project determined that these drugs may be better separated using ultra high-performance supercritical fluid chromatography.

Synthetic cathinones, a class of mood-altering stimulants popular among recreational drug users, can be unstable when stored in blood or urine samples, and may be problematic when used as evidence in court.

Researchers  expanded the National Center for Forensic Science Smokeless Powders Database from 100 to more than 800 entries.

3D printing technology both supports and challenges criminal investigation.

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 conducted a statistical study of handwriting characteristics to provide a database so that forensic document examination standards will better stand up to judicial scrutiny.

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.