Forensic and Investigative Sciences

Sexual misconduct may impact students in all aspects of their campus lives and a comprehensive response includes meeting students’ needs. This webinar provides an overview and examples of best practices for equitable process options, culturally competent resources, and creative solutions to serve students and comply with a changing legal framework.

T his webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on August 7, 2019.

Dr. David Christiansen discusses some of the relevant issues which affect law enforcement officers, firefighters, and other first responders.  These concepts also apply to those who are affected by secondary traumatization such as crime scene investigators, attorneys and others who are in frequent contact with images or information regarding gruesome acts of violence.  Dr.

Locating and notifying the next of kin is an important part of medicolegal death investigation. This presentation provided examples of resources at the scene and online to assist medicolegal death investigators (MDIs) with identifying the decedent’s next of kin. Some of these resources include talking to witnesses, searching cell phone information, social media accounts, public records, and criminal databases. Additionally, Namus was discussed as a resource if a next of kin cannot be identified. 

Locating and notifying the next of kin is an important part of medicolegal death investigation. This presentation provided examples of resources at the scene and online to assist medicolegal death investigators (MDIs) with identifying the decedent’s next of kin. Some of these resources include talking to witnesses, searching cell phone information, social media accounts, public records, and criminal databases. Additionally, Namus was discussed as a resource if a next of kin cannot be identified.

Between 2016 and 2017, overdose deaths increased from 63,632 to 70,237. Of these, 47,600 overdose deaths involved opioids. In 2017, West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and the District of Columbia were the top five states with the highest rate of drug overdose deaths. 

Locating and notifying the next of kin is an important part of medicolegal death investigation. This presentation provided examples of resources at the scene and online to assist medicolegal death investigators (MDIs) with identifying the decedent’s next of kin. Some of these resources include talking to witnesses, searching cell phone information, social media accounts, public records, and criminal databases. Additionally, Namus was discussed as a resource if a next of kin cannot be identified. 

Between 2016 and 2017, overdose deaths increased from 63,632 to 70,237. Of these, 47,600 overdose deaths involved opioids. In 2017, West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and the District of Columbia were the top five states with the highest rate of drug overdose deaths. 

Throughout the Probabilistic Genotyping of Evidentiary DNA Typing Results virtual workshop series, we have reviewed aspects of DNA mixture interpretation and have seen that probabilistic genotyping (PG) software can serve as a tool to assist the DNA Examiner in identifying possible genotype sets within a mixture and then calculating a likelihood ratio (LR). Approaches to modeling were shared by the developers of different PG software programs, followed by examples of internal validation studies and results.

By combining the data in ODMAP with collaborative partnerships which span different disciplines, localities can develop and deploy a real-time plan to reduce both fatal and non-fatal overdoses.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on July 16, 2019.

Practitioners from across the criminal justice system speak to the impact of NIJ's Solving Cold Cases with DNA grant program.