A Reality Check on Crime Lab Backlogs (2012)
EXCERPT
“There was a time when forensic science was used to solve crimes. Now, it is used to satisfy curiosities and falsify the most unreasonable of defense alibis. Extreme proponents of forensic science may argue that if it is used to answer even the most basic questions, the truth we learn is worth the cost—we just need to hire more scientists. This, however, is a strategy doomed to failure if executed in haste. Laboratories cannot for long keep talented and motivated scientists employed doing low-value work that brings little or no professional satisfaction. The most talented scientists will quickly become dissatisfied with their jobs and leave for more rewarding work, taking their talent and training with them. So, in an attempt to build laboratory capacity, the end result may very well be the collapse of the laboratory’s organizational culture and its growing inability to attract and retain qualified, enthusiastic personnel.”
