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Consistent with the growing interest in public attitudes toward forensic science, the present study focuses on the potential antecedents of trust in forensics. Collecting and analyzing forensic evidence involves scientific methods, and thus trust in science as a whole may influence trust in forensics. At the same time, because the police are responsible for collecting and analyzing forensic evidence, public trust in the police may affect perceptions of forensic science. These hypothesized relationships align with theories of generalized trust, which suggest that individuals apply broad trust orientations across different authorities and social institutions. To test the role of these views as antecedents of trust in forensics, 1,342 Israelis were surveyed about their views of forensic science, the police, and science as a whole. A cluster analysis identified three groups of people: those expressing high levels of trust in all three institutions; those expressing low trust in all three; and those expressing high trust in science and forensics but low trust in the police. The clusters were associated with several socio-demographic characteristics. Moreover, correlations reveal that trust in forensics is associated with trust in science and, to a lesser extent, with trust in the police, and may be embedded within broader patterns of institutional trust.

Forensic science professionals play a crucial role in the criminal justice system, but due to the nature of forensic science careers, exposure to traumatic material and occupational stressors remains common within the profession. The impacts of these aspects of the career field are not negligible, with prior research suggesting that forensic science professionals experience various forms of psychological distress, including but not limited to burnout, post-traumatic stress disorder, secondary traumatic stress, and vicarious trauma. The present study sought to analyze open-ended responses to survey questions from forensic science professionals (N = 223) to better understand their experiences of occupational stressors and mental health. Using a qualitative approach, the results highlight several insights into stress and mental health among forensic science professionals. First, sources of stress are not limited to occupational stressors, and stressors may compound on one another. Second, the impact of stress has negative psychological outcomes, at times leading to both positive and negative coping mechanisms. Said coping mechanisms reflect not only stressors and the psychological impact of work, but also barriers to help-seeking behaviors, as well as the role of stigma for forensic science professionals seeking mental health assistance. We conclude with discussions of policy implementations, drawing from the perspectives of respondents.

Violence perpetrated against women in Australia is being referred to as at crisis point. The National Plan for Violence Against Women and Children outlines the national collaborative approach to addressing this issue. While paramount to the successful apprehension of domestic and sexual violence perpetrators, forensic science escapes specific consideration in the National Plan. Only a single reference to the word "forensic" is contained in the 144-page document- "Ensure victim-survivors have access to timely forensic examinations". Forensic science must play a larger role in responding to increasing family, domestic, and sexual violence (FDSV). In using the National Plan as a foundation, this review collates available Australian data to provide commentary and summarise the experiences of victim-survivors, the current legislative climate, and future directions that may address this challenge. Much of the literature captures FDSV, but for this research, only domestic, otherwise referred to as intimate partner violence (IPV), and sexual violence (SV) will be commented on, owing to their close association with forensic science as a judicial tool.

Reliability in forensic science is often inferred from accreditation and standards compliance. These controls are necessary, but they do not, by themselves, demonstrate stable performance under routine casework conditions. This conceptual synthesis treats reliability in the scientific systems sense: the capacity of a forensic science system to maintain stable performance and to interrupt error under ordinary operating constraints. Drawing on forensic science, safety science, and organizational research, it describes three mechanism-consistent pathways by which reliability can erode without overt nonconformance: latent conditions embedded in workload and review design; attenuation of weak signals as concerns are summarized or administratively closed; and lifecycle propagation, where early constraints shape later analysis, interpretation, reporting, and testimony. The Marshall Hale wrongful conviction is used as an illustrative mechanism map of how procedural completion can coexist with reduced corrective leverage across institutional boundaries.

The forensic and scientific communities widely endorse transparency as a core principle and fundamental obligation of forensic science reporting. Yet the definition of transparency - ironically - remains opaque. This ambiguity impacts scientist's ability to fulfill their obligations when reporting forensic findings to justice systems as the primary consumer. Applying Elliott's 2022 taxonomy of transparency clarifies the issue, revealing that transparency is central to achieving Reliability, Assessment, Justice, Accountability and Innovation goals. It involves disclosing information about the scientists' Authority, Compliance, Basis, Justification, Validity, Disagreements, and Context, and shows that the audiences for these disclosures includes not only primary consumers, but also a range of agents, actors, and stakeholders. This complexity creates a multidimensional challenge for scientists and forensic science service providers, requiring a careful balance between competing demands. Templates can mitigate some of these challenges, but must be coupled with ongoing collaboration among forensic scientists, legal stakeholders, and institutional bodies to ensure that reporting practices evolve in line with professional obligations, scientific rigor and the realities of forensic practice.

ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation serves as the primary benchmark for forensic laboratories to demonstrate their commitment to quality and the delivery of reliable analytical results. In the courtroom, this accreditation is frequently accepted as a guarantee of scientific accuracy. However, several recent events underscore the limitations of such an assumption. High-profile instances of laboratory errors-including the Randox toxicology scandal, the Maryland State Police laboratory's decade-long use of single-point calibration for blood alcohol testing, and methodological failures at the University of Illinois Chicago Analytical Forensic Testing Laboratory-demonstrate how significant scientific problems can persist for years within accredited laboratories. In the United States, this issue is complicated by a highly centralized system in which just two organizations accredit more than 99% of providers. This oversight process relies heavily on a peer-review model, in which assessor pools are drawn largely from within the forensic laboratory community. Such a closed system can allow serious methodological flaws to go undetected. Reforms are needed to increase transparency, strengthen independent oversight, enhance whistleblower protections, and incorporate non-forensic ISO/IEC 17025 assessors to provide more objective oversight.

Forensic science has long struggled with "technical instrumentalism," a crisis where practical efficacy outpaces its intellectual foundation for producing reliable knowledge. This manuscript traces a history from this initial diagnosis toward a formal theory of warranted information. It first explores the ontological response provided by Haq et al., which redefines evidence not as isolated objects but as manifestations of structured change resulting from energy transfer, anchoring forensic inference in the robust reconstruction of events. This ontology is bridged with the concept of f-transforms (natural, cultural, and forensic), which track the sequential reconfiguration of items, asserting that forensic knowledge is transformed, not merely discovered. The inquiry then examines the territory of forensic epistemology, arguing that the discipline's status as a captive profession leads to epistemic dependence and epistemic capture. This structural placement subordinates scientific rigor to institutional and legal priorities, often resulting in corporate mental models that normalize specific interpretations. The paper distinguishes between inevitable scientific uncertainty (rooted in entropy and the material limits of proxy data) and detrimental institutional uncertainty (stemming from governance and the management of the transformation chain). Ultimately, the forensic warrant, the justified authority of a conclusion, is argued to be earned only through transparent management of this entire transformational chain. This requires adopting fiduciary-epistemic duties, including balanced disclosure and active preservation of contestability, to ensure that forensic authority rests on demonstrated logical justification rather than institutional power.

Forensic genetic frequency databases (FGFD) are used in estimating the probability of a DNA match in forensic investigations. They provide reference population data that can be used for statistical estimation for the rarity of a genotype, haplotype or a DNA profile in a population hence giving probative value for forensic evidence. Currently, three FGFD databases are recommended by the International Society for Forensic Genetics (ISFG) for forensic use; the Y-Chromosome Haplotype Reference Database (YHRD), the EDNAP Mitochondrial DNA Population Database (EMPOP), and the STRs for Identity ENFSI Reference Database (STRidER). There is need to generate updated and comprehensive genetic frequency data for the Kenyan population in compliance with ethical standards. This study sought to develop a forensic biobank to facilitate generation of comprehensive genetic frequency data for the Kenyan population. A total of 893 samples were collected from study volunteers in compliance with prescribed ethical standards. The data set comprises 60.8 % Bantu, 24.9 % Nilotic, and 14.3 % Cushitic samples closely mirroring current population structure in Kenya. The samples are currently stored in duplicate as FTA cards and extracted DNA. 132 quality mitogenome reference data has been generated for the coastal region in Kenya. With the broad consent obtained, the resource will be used to generate additional mitogenome reference data for other geographical regions, Y-chromosome haplotype and autosomal STRs for inclusion in recommended forensic databases as per revised guidelines. With the emergence of new technologies in forensic genetics, we anticipate the resource will be valuable in forensic genetics validation studies in future.

The rapid development and proliferation of drone technology have led to an increase in various threats. In particular, the number of attacks, crimes, and accidents using drones is continuously expanding, and the need for a systematic response is growing. Existing response strategies have mainly focused on real-time defense-oriented technologies and policies, such as detection, identification, and neutralization of drones. However, recently, the importance of drone forensics, which identifies the flight path of drones, pilot information, and the cause of accidents after an incident, has been highlighted. Drone forensics combines elements of traditional digital forensics and non-digital (physical) forensics, and live forensics technology that collects and analyzes data immediately after an incident plays a crucial role. Drone forensics has distinct technical characteristics compared to general forensics, and this study presents a systematic analysis framework and analysis algorithm structure that reflects these technical characteristics and convergent analysis factors. It comprehensively reviews the major drone forensics technologies currently being utilized. This will help to secure the legal evidence capability of drone forensics and increase its usefulness as evidence.

Forensic odontology plays a vital role in human identification, age estimation, and legal investigations. However, in Sub-Saharan Africa, the field has developed within a framework shaped by colonial histories, Western methodologies, and systemic underinvestment in local capacity. This article critically examines the need to decolonise forensic odontology in the region, proposing a comprehensive reform agenda grounded in four intersecting domains: historical legacies, indigenous knowledge integration, ethical considerations, and policy reform. It highlights how colonial-era forensic practices continue to influence current protocols and legal standards, often to the detriment of scientific accuracy and justice. By recognising and incorporating traditional dental knowledge, such as ritual dental modifications and community oral histories, the field can be enriched and made more contextually relevant. Ethical challenges surrounding data sovereignty, informed consent, cultural sensitivity, and the use of contested techniques are addressed, with recommendations for more equitable and transparent forensic practices. Policy reforms are proposed to institutionalise forensic odontology through education, infrastructure development, legal recognition, and collaborative networks. The article argues that decolonisation is not a rejection of global science but a reorientation toward context-appropriate, ethically grounded, and locally led forensic systems. Through these reforms, Sub-Saharan Africa can build a forensic odontology discipline that is scientifically robust, culturally responsive, and capable of delivering justice and dignity to affected communities.

There is a dissonance between the public perception of forensic practice in the United States and reality. Portrayed as infallible and universally available, the truth is that the awkward evolution of forensic practice has created fissures in its foundations, affecting both the quality and quantity of these critical services. These fissures have only widened over time, creating problems that require creative solutions. Within the United States, every level of government provides forensic services, and there is no overarching authority over forensic providers. The recent reevaluation of the Chevron deference doctrine by the Supreme Court ensures that this is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future. Under Chevron deference, courts would defer to regulatory agencies interpretations when laws were ambiguous. This new ruling transfers that responsibility back to the courts, making the creation of a new regulatory agency over forensic providers even less likely. Thus, any meaningful change to forensic practice must come from within the profession. As unlikely as this may seem, it has occurred before. This perspective allows us to see the hidden challenges forensic providers face and propose potential solutions that practitioners can implement to increase the quality of their work and the resilience of the system they operate within. By evaluating how forensic practice has implemented change in the past, this paper proposes solutions that have worked before and expands on others from different industries with similar challenges.

Chaos theory, initially developed by Edward Lorenz, a mathematician and meteorologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has evolved from a theory of the natural and physical sciences to a theory that has broad, interdisciplinary applications. Fundamentally, chaos theory connects various scientific disciplines by explaining how seemingly random behaviors that happen in non-linear or "chaotic" systems, no matter how minor, can lead to major consequences. While forensic anthropology is often considered an a-theoretical subfield of anthropology, the discipline has witnessed a proliferation of theoretical publications in recent years. It engages with a variety of theories, ranging from low-level theories of archaeological recovery to high-level theories such as human evolution and adaptation to understand human variability. However, in its primacy, forensic anthropologists struggled to understand the systems and agents involved in forensic contexts. The utilization of chaos theory and non-linear systems has the potential to transform the field, providing a new lens to better understand forensic contexts. This paper will delve into the interdisciplinary ways forensic anthropology can employ chaos theory, specifically in developing a range of non-linear systems theoretical frameworks, especially in work concerning human decomposition and reconstruction of forensic contexts.

Massively parallel sequencing (MPS) has caused a paradigm shift in forensic DNA analysis by enabling simultaneous examination of multiple genetic markers with higher resolution. Despite its growing importance, adoption in the 11 Southeast Asian countries remains limited. This paper reviews MPS implementation in forensic DNA laboratories across the region and discusses key adoption challenges. An online survey with the Asian Forensic Sciences Network - DNA Workgroup (AFSN-DNAWG) received 19 responses from seven countries: Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Eight respondents are using MPS, while 10 of 11 non-users plan to adopt it within five years. Key challenges for users included limited population data, lack of standardized international nomenclature, and incompatibility with existing national DNA databases, which rely on length polymorphisms of short tandem repeat (STR) markers. Non-users cited limited infrastructure, financial constraints due to lack of government support, and insufficient training in managing sequencing data. To expand MPS use, we recommend a strategy combining effective capillary electrophoresis (CE)-based DNA profiling for routine cases with MPS technology for complex cases; establishment of an MPS-capable forensic DNA laboratory per country; and increased regional collaboration to maximize genomic data use common to mainstream and Indigenous populations, which have histories of trade, migration, and cultural interactions. These steps can provide a practical approach to integrating MPS into forensic databasing and casework across Southeast Asia.

This letter investigates the applicability of deep learning-based techniques proposed for cyber forensics by exploring its practical limitations. Although current models depict disciplined investigation process stages, there are a lot of issues that still exist in real-world utilization. Primary concerns are data quality and bias, lack of forensic-grade validation of the method, low explainability of model outputs, and risk to evidence integrity when performing automated comparison. The debate also draws attention to the necessity of generalizing existing methodologies from post-incident review to forensic readiness and real-time monitoring. The paper contends that deep learning tools ought to serve as, not substitute for, expert judgment, with appropriate safeguards for transparency, accountability and legal admissibility. Resolving these problems is important as bridging conceptual and physical understanding with dependable forensic process.

Photography supports written and diagrammatic clinical documentation in forensic sexual assault examinations. In settings where specialist photographers are not available, clinician confidence in image capture affects the usage of photography as a clinical tool. A regional Australian health district with multiple sexual assault services across metropolitan, regional and rural sites had previously low usage of photography to support clinical documentation of injury. Smartphones were introduced as image capture devices and procedures were implemented to support their use and the secure storage of images. Training was provided to medical and nursing staff. In cases where injuries were present, the use of photography increased significantly from 13% to 27% (p = 0.0041). Surveys were conducted of clinicians to examine factors affecting use of and attitudes to photography in sexual assault examinations, both prior to and three years after introducing the new devices. Smartphones were generally well accepted by clinicians as an easy-to-use alternative to traditional single lens reflex (SLR) camera photography, particularly for documenting complex injuries that are hard to describe in words and diagrams alone. Smartphone photography may be particularly useful for rural and regional settings where clinicians have a lower caseload and therefore less regular experience with photography equipment, and no access to specialist forensic photographers.

To evaluate postmortem pancreatic autolysis as a histological marker of the early postmortem interval (PMI) in routine forensic autopsy, with particular emphasis on regional differences within the pancreas and application in a tropical setting. We studied 30 forensic autopsy cases with known PMI <24&#xa0;h. From each pancreas, tissue from the head, body, and tail was sampled, fixed in formalin, processed routinely, and stained with hematoxylin-eosin. For each region, the proportion of parenchyma exhibiting characteristic autolytic changes was visually estimated as the percentage of autolysis. Spearman's correlation and simple linear regression were used to assess associations between PMI and autolysis. The PMI ranged from 1 to 17&#xa0;h (mean 6.4&#xa0;h). PMI showed a significant positive correlation with autolysis in the head (&#x3c1;&#xa0;=&#xa0;0.508), body (&#x3c1;&#xa0;=&#xa0;0.561), tail (&#x3c1;&#xa0;=&#xa0;0.566) and mean autolysis (&#x3c1;&#xa0;=&#xa0;0.535) (all p&#xa0;&#x2264;&#xa0;0.002). Correlations were stronger in traumatic deaths than in non-traumatic deaths. Simple linear regression with PMI as the predictor explained 19.5&#xa0;% of the variance in mean percent autolysis (R2&#xa0;=&#xa0;0.195). Autolysis was first appreciable at approximately 2&#xa0;h postmortem, and >50&#xa0;% autolysis was not observed below 5&#xa0;h. Pancreatic autolysis provides useful information in the early PMI but lacks precision as a stand-alone estimator. It is best used as a practical histological adjunct within a multimodal, evidence-based approach to PMI estimation, especially in warm, humid environments.

This article examines the overlooked risk of false negative errors arising from eliminations in forensic firearm comparisons. While recent reforms in forensic science have focused on reducing false positives, eliminations - often based on class characteristics or intuitive judgments - receive little empirical scrutiny despite their potential to exclude true sources. In cases involving a closed pool of suspects, eliminations can function as de facto identifications, introducing serious risk of error. A review of existing validity studies reveals that many report only false positive rates, failing to provide a complete assessment of method accuracy. This asymmetry is reinforced by professional guidelines, such as those from AFTE, and echoed in major government reports, including those from NAS and PCAST. The article argues that eliminations, like identifications, must be validated through rigorous testing and reported with transparent error rates. It further cautions against the use of "common sense" eliminations in the absence of empirical support and highlights the dangers of contextual bias when examiners are aware of investigative constraints. Five policy recommendations are proposed to improve the scientific treatment and legal interpretation of eliminations, including balanced reporting of false positive and false negative rates, validation of intuitive judgments, and clear warnings against using eliminations to infer guilt in closed-pool scenarios. Without reform, eliminations will continue to escape scrutiny, perpetuating unmeasured error and undermining the integrity of forensic conclusions.

Bloodstain Pattern Analysis (BPA) constitutes a critical component of modern forensic science, particularly in complex crime scenes where the physical evidence may be manipulated or misinterpreted. This manuscript presents a detailed reconstruction of a residential scene initially suspected to be the site of a violent homicide. Despite extensive blood distribution across multiple rooms, forensic investigation revealed that the injuries sustained were superficial and incompatible with the volume and morphology of the bloodstains observed. A systematic application of BPA, revealed patterns predominantly consistent with passive and transfer mechanisms. Specific attention was given to void patterns-unstained areas interrupting otherwise continuous blood distributions-which were geometrically consistent with object repositioning and indicative of post-event manipulation. Integration of BPA with clinical wound assessment, genetic profiling, and contextual behavioral analysis allowed investigators to identify the scene as staged. High-resolution photographic documentation played a pivotal role in the accurate characterization of the bloodstains, enabling precise evaluation of stain edges, distribution, and mechanisms of deposition. This case underscores the necessity of interdisciplinary collaboration and adherence to updated forensic standards to avoid investigative misdirection and ensure the integrity of crime scene interpretation.

Forensic laboratories operating within law enforcement hierarchies face an inherent structural conflict between scientific independence and institutional loyalty. When scientists challenge prosecutorial narratives or expose systemic problems, they frequently experience professional retaliation, forced resignations, or career marginalization. This editorial examines documented cases of such retaliation and argues that these patterns reflect deeper cultural mechanisms that protect institutional authority by expelling dissenters who threaten the myth of forensic objectivity. Drawing on historical parallels to religious and state orthodoxy and Ren&#xe9; Girard's theory of scapegoating, the analysis demonstrates that these conflicts are not isolated incidents but symptoms of a fundamental governance failure. Genuine scientific independence, mandatory full disclosure, external peer review, and whistleblower protections are essential to restore public trust and ensure that forensic science is guided by truth rather than institutional interests.