Search

Assessing vicarious trauma and attitudes toward mental health services for forensic...

Research indicates that forensic science professionals operate under significant pressure, the magnitude of which varies depending on their field, workload, case type, tenure, and the evidentiary significance of their testimony in court. This study conducted a needs analysis of f...

Verification testing in a multi‐laboratory system using ANSI/ASB Standard 020

Protocol verification is a fit‐for‐purpose test of laboratory procedures. We present here verification testing of a DNA mixture interpretation protocol, following ANSI/ASB Standard 020, Standard for Validation Studies of DNA Mixtures, and Development and Verification of a Laborat...

Combining morphological traits and measurements of the skull for osteological sex...

Forensic anthropologists commonly estimate osteological sex using separate morphological and metric analyses, without integrating both data types into a single classification model. Combining data types into one model has the potential to increase sex classification accuracies fo...

Vicarious trauma among forensic psychologists

Mental health professionals who conduct forensic assessments are often exposed to stressors during evaluations of justice‐involved individuals (e.g., graphic descriptions of violence, crime scene photos), yet little research has examined vicarious trauma among forensic mental hea...

Normalizing discussions of mental health in forensic anthropology

Traditionally, forensic anthropologists worked on secured scenes or in academic labs. Today, practitioners are more involved in casework, working alongside forensic pathologists during autopsies, mass disasters, and interviewing relatives. This expanded role brings practitioners ...

Examining the influence of lifestyle variables on the accuracy of skeletal age estimation...

This study investigated links between skeletal age estimation error and lifestyle variables to better elucidate sources of interpersonal variability in the rates of skeletal aging. Skeletal age for 180 individuals from the New Mexico Decedent Image Database was estimated by apply...

Creative toolkit of the 1921 Tulsa Graves Investigation field laboratory

The City of Tulsa initiated The 1921 Graves Investigation in 2020 in order to recover and identify African American victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre from unmarked graves. The Tulsa Race Massacre occurred in downtown Tulsa over May 31, 1921, to June 1, 1921, as an act of mo...

Death due to diphenhydramine toxicity: A 9‐year review from the Cook County Medical...

Diphenhydramine (DPH) is a widely available first‐generation antihistamine that, in supratherapeutic doses, can cause severe toxicity and even death. While commonly reported in cases of combined drug toxicity, fatalities attributed to DPH toxicity alone are rarely documented in f...

Incidents of sudden death during restraint of agitated individuals in Sweden between 1992...

Restraint‐related sudden deaths in agitated individuals raise complex questions at the intersection of medicine and law. Hyperactive delirium with extreme agitation as well as positional asphyxia due to restraint have been proposed to account for these deaths. However, the exact ...

Ethanol depletion dynamics in non‐recirculating system breath alcohol simulators

Breath alcohol simulators are devices that use a heated ethanol/water solution to simulate human breath. Vapor created from heating the solution is commonly used to calibrate alcohol breath testing instruments. When the vapor of the same solution is repeatedly sampled, it causes ...

Correction to “Determination of erythrocyte degradation levels and estimation of age blood...

Psychological impact of cross‐examination on forensic scientists: A mixed‐methods study of...

This mixed‐methods research examines the emotional and cognitive impact of courtroom testimony when conducted by forensic professionals in Pakistan. In this study, 10 practitioners of different forensic fields were interviewed semi‐structurally, and 120 respondents were used to c...

Evaluating match confidence in automated face recognition via likelihood ratio...

Forensic facial examinations (FFE) primarily relies on manual image examination by trained experts using standardized protocols to identify suspects through detailed comparisons. In contrast, automated facial recognition (AFR) employs machine learning and AI algorithms to generat...

The influence of 13 weeks of burial on morphine and metabolite distribution in human...

When human remains are in an advanced stage of decomposition, drug concentrations are altered. In five decedents morphine, morphine‐3‐glucuronide (M3G), and morphine‐6‐glucuronide (M6G) concentration changes and bacterial DNA were investigated after 13 weeks of burial. Femoral bl...

The Supreme Court of Canada interprets the fitness to stand trial test in R v. Bharwani

At the core of the common law, rooted in fairness, is the principle that an accused must be "fit" or "competent" to answer charges pursued by the state. Fitness rules vary considerably across jurisdictions but generally share the requirement that the accused b...

“New kid on the block”—MDDM as a new ingredient in Ecstasy tablets

Ecstasy tablets are commonly associated with 3,4‐methylenedioxy‐methamphetamine (MDMA), but they often contain diverse psychoactive substances, including new psychoactive substances (NPS), which pose significant risks to users due to unknown composition and effects. This study an...

Developing a socio‐ecological model of risk for vicarious trauma and occupational stress...

While the forensic sciences offer versatile and rewarding careers, practitioners and administrative staff within the field report high levels of occupational stress (OS). OS stems from job tasks and requirements, workplace culture, and the broader legal system, ranging from job s...

Elevated beta‐hydroxybutyrate within a pediatric population and its associated pathology:...

Elevated beta‐hydroxybutyrate (BHB) is a marker for ketoacidosis. Post‐mortem values for the diagnosis of fatal ketoacidosis and the associated clinical and histologic findings are limited in the pediatric population. A retrospective case series of pediatric autopsy records and h...

Portable document format (PDF) image embedding and analysis: Foundational structures for...

This technical note addresses forensic challenges in analyzing how images are embedded and represented within Portable Document Format (PDF) files. It was developed to support forensic practitioners — particularly those engaged in digital image analysis — in interpreting embe...

The Education of the Next Generation Forensic Scientist

Free to AAFS members - this webinar offers a comprehensive and engaging roadmap for students pursuing careers in forensic science. By blending historical context, accreditation standards, and practical strategies to help students navigate academic choices and develop essential skills, the viewer will take away tips for the successful transition from academia to a forensic laboratory career.