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Forensic sciences

NIJ Journal Issue 264, November 2009

Date Published
November 1, 2009

Research-based information that can help inform policy decisions and improve understanding of the criminal justice system.

NIJ Journal Issue 267, Winter 2010

Date Published
October 1, 2017

Research-based information that can help inform policy decisions and improve understanding of the criminal justice system.

NIJ Journal Issue 268, October 2011

Date Published
October 1, 2011

Research-based information that can help inform policy decisions and improve understanding of the criminal justice system.

NIJ Journal Issue 272, September 2013

Date Published
September 1, 2013

Research-based information that can help inform policy decisions and improve understanding of the criminal justice system.

How Research and Technology Are Expanding Sexual Assault Kit Testing

January 2016

NIJ Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences Director Gerald LaPorte and Deputy Director Heather Waltke, along with Heather LaSalle, Forensic Examiner, DNA Casework Unit, and Tina Delgado, Chief, Biometrics Division from the FBI Laboratory discuss how scientific advances can help jurisdictions process a large number of previously unsubmitted sexual assault kits.

Prosecuting Cases of Elder Abuse

June 2010

This panel will feature NIJ-funded research that has direct, practical implications for the prosecution of elder abuse cases. Panelists will present findings from a study of prosecutors in three states that examined the factors that influenced their decisions to prosecute elder financial abuse cases. The panel will also provide the results from an evaluation of five innovative court-based models that target perpetrators of elder abuse.

Forensic Biology/Forensic DNA

Forensic Biology/DNA analysis has played a critical role in the investigation and resolution of thousands of crimes since the late 1980s. Over time the forensic biology field has expanded to include techniques that target DNA, RNA, or proteins from all types of organisms and technology has improved in quality, sensitivity, and analysis time.
 

While there...

Forensic Pathology

Human remains are treated as a separate and unique type of forensic evidence. An autopsy of the remains is completed to determine the cause and manner of any death that is violent, unusual, or untimely. A forensic pathologist will examine the human remains (post-mortem examination) and consider death scene findings. 

On this page, find links to articles, awards, events, publications, and multimedia related to forensic pathology.

Forensic Toxicology

Forensic toxicology is the analysis of biological samples for the presence of toxins, including drugs. The toxicology report can provide key information as to the type of substances present in an individual and if the amount of those substances is consistent with a therapeutic dosage or is above a harmful level. These results can be used to make inferences when determining a substance's potential effect...

Forensic Anthropology

Examination of skeletal human remains to assess age at death, sex, stature, and ancestry; identify injuries; and estimate the time since death provide investigators with information that can assist in identifying a decedent. In addition, examination of the development, anatomy, and any restorative dental corrections of the teeth, such as fillings or extractions can help comparative identification of a person. NIJ funds research to improve the...