Articles Published by NIJ

The importance of non-targeted testing to keep pace with a rapidly evolving synthetic opioid market.

New systems allow high-definition scans of bullets and cartridge cases to be shared and compared virtually.

NIJ-funded researchers developed a novel metric to assess probability that an unknown sample of a drug matches a library sample, with profound implications for standardization of mass spectrometry results.

Illicit opioid supplies can be greatly reduced if distribution networks are disrupted. New research highlights the power of computer modeling and community-based intelligence to reveal network connections.

Researchers have created a more accurate methodology for predicting how things burn

The reliability, interpretability, and cost-benefit of three-dimensional laser-scanned images for crime scene documentation is assessed.

Development of blowflies on a body is a standard forensic measure of time since death, but temperature variations can alter that development and mislead investigators.

Researchers believe a bacterium that causes food poisoning and other diseases may underlie some SIDS cases.

A new postmortem image database will be a resource for research in forensic anthropology, pathology, and radiology.

Researchers created an open-access computer program for estimating the age of skeletal remains that outperforms current methods. The algorithm is based on 20 age-related skeletal changes identified by experienced forensic anthropologists.

Researchers improve molecular autopsy accuracy by identifying more genetic variants that could lead to sudden unexplained deaths. These genetic clues may better inform criminal investigations and help prevent deaths in surviving family members.

Improving postmortem interval estimation with standardized and simplified protocols could significantly impact medicolegal death investigations by providing more accurate and reliable data for determining time since death.