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Young Forensic Scientists Forum Newsletter - November 2000 The
Future of Certification and Accreditation in Forensic Science -- Part 1
of 2 |
| Unless you happen to reside in New York or Boston, you find yourself relying on a personal vehicle for transportation for day-to-day activities such as school or work. Unfortunately, if your vehicle fails you in your time of need, life, albeit hard to believe, continues with or without you. With a little extra care, effort and a lot of preventive maintenance, your vehicle can avoid a large deal of down time. Routine visits to the dealership may be out of the question with today's prices, so the local mechanic becomes the next best solution. However, you don't want to jeopardize the future of your automobile, and your career, with just any mechanic. Certificates from organizations such as the National Institute of Service Excellence or NISE easily recognize quality mechanics. Yeah, you may remember seeing a NISE certificate hanging on the wall, but not really paying attention to it. Well, that certificate recognizes quality work. This makes it possible for the consumer to check the credibility of the mechanic without a grueling background or qualifications check. That easily recognizable certification/accreditation is also the future trend of forensic laboratories and the individuals within the system. Certification is not currently required in the United States in order to perform forensic testing. It deals with the qualifications of the individual analyst and is done externally. The American Board of Criminalistics (ABC) provides examinations designed to test an individual in both general knowledge of forensic science, as well as a chosen field of specialization. The ABC Certificate of Professional Competency in Criminalistics program involves a voluntary process of peer review by which an individual is recognized as having attained the professional qualifications needed to practice in one or more disciplines of Criminalistics. The ABC certification program has a four-fold purpose: • To set and measure professional levels of knowledge, skills, and abilities for Criminalistics. • To guide Criminalists in attaining professional levels of competence. • To provide a means of evaluating the competence of analysts in Criminalistics. • To provide a formal process for the recognition of Criminalists who meet the defined professional level of competence. Examinations, continuing education, and proficiency testing requirements are crucial components of the ABC's comprehensive certification program. The status of Diplomate of the ABC is gained upon completion of the general knowledge exam with a passing score. Fellow status is awarded upon completion of a written specialty exam and the submission of the results from a hands-on proficiency test within one year and annually thereafter. The ABC offers a Diplomate certificate in general Criminalistics, as well as Fellow certificates in the specialty disciplines of forensic biology (molecular biology and biochemistry), drug analysis, fire debris analysis, and trace evidence (hairs, fibers, paints, and polymers). By providing the analyst with a tangible measure that can be taken with him/her to show that the standards of the profession have been met, a credibility boost is provided to judicial officers, the court, and other interested parties. That could make it difficult for defense attorneys to attack the qualifications of the analyst when on the stand. The trend towards analyst certification is increasing, but not nearly as fast as the trend towards reviewing the qualifications of individual laboratories which provide forensic testing services. Accreditation is a service provided by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD). It is, at the present, voluntary and self-regulated. The standards are established by the ASCLD Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB), which is managed by a Board of Directors elected by a delegate assembly composed of the directors of all accredited laboratories. The organization has adopted four objectives that define the purposes and nature of the program: • To improve the quality of laboratory services provided to the criminal justice system. • To develop and maintain criteria that a laboratory can use to assess its level of performance and to strengthen its operation can use. • To provide an independent, impartial, and objective system by which laboratories can benefit from a total operational review. • To offer to the general public and to users of laboratory services a means of identifying those laboratories that have demonstrated meeting established standards. Currently, ASCLD/LAB accredits all major units of the laboratory: Controlled Substances - Drug Unit, Toxicology, Trace Evidence, Serology - Biochemistry Unit, DNA, Firearms/Toolmarks, Latent Prints - Crime Scene Unit, and Questioned Documents. In providing its review, the governing board has established a three ranking grading procedure of essential, important, and desirable that is used to target the various areas of the laboratory system: • Essential - Standards which directly affect and have fundamental impact on the work product of the lab or integrity of the evidence. • Important - Standards which are considered to be key indicators of the overall quality of the lab, but may not directly affect neither the work product nor the integrity of the evidence. • Desirable - Standards that have the least effect on the work product or the integrity of the evidence but which nevertheless enhance the professionalism of the laboratory. Once granted, accreditation is valid for a period of five years, provided standards are continually met. This includes completion of the Annual Accreditation Review Report and participation in proficiency testing programs. A new application for accreditation must be completed every fifth year, as well as another on-site inspection. This is the future status of forensic science. The providers of certification and accreditation are in the process of establishing a foundation that will take the veteran and beginning forensic scientist to a higher level of excellence. However, what effect will this transition have on the forensic laboratory and its practitioners? Will it make it tougher to get started in the field or will it level the playing field of analysts and laboratories alike? Keep a watchful eye out for the next newsletter as the Forum explores Part 2 of the future of certification and accreditation. |
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© 2000 Young Forensic Scientists Forum / American Academy of Forensic Sciences |