Forensic Science Links

Consortium of Forensic Science Organizations
A powerful advocacy organization composed of the premier forensic science organizations to raise awareness about the needs of the forensic science community.

American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors
The premier association of crime laboratory directors and forensic science managers.  The organization hosts an annual educational symposium and distributes a weekly newsletter to is members.

ASCLD / Laboratory Accreditation Board
The accreditation organization for crime laboratories in the United States, which also provides services to laboratories overseas. 

Forensic Specialties Accreditation Board
An authoritative board that monitors forensic certification programs and publishes standards designed for the administrators and creators of such programs.  The program was established with the support of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS), the National Forensic Science Technology Center (NFSTC) and the National Institute of Justice (NIJ).

National Forensic Science Technology Center
A not-for-profit corporation funded by a cooperative agreement with the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) that provides programs to build individual competency and quality systems for the forensic science community in the United States.

American Board of Criminalists
The most authoritative certification body in the forensic sciences today. The ABC is composed of regional and national organizations which represent forensic scientists.

American Academy of Forensic Sciences
One of the oldest and most well-known forensic science associations in the world.  AAFS hosts an annual meeting and distributes the Journal of Forensic Sciences, which is one of the most respected forensic science periodicals in the world.

National Academy of Sciences
The National Academies perform an unparalleled public service by bringing together committees of experts in all areas of scientific and technological endeavor. These experts serve pro bono to address critical national issues and give advice to the federal government and the public.

National Association of Medical Examiners
The National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME) is the national professional organization of physician medical examiners, medical death investigators and death investigation system administrators who perform the official duties of the medicolegal investigation of deaths of public interest in the United States.

Legal

National College of District Attorneys
The goal of the NDAA's National College of District Attorneys' training is to help prosecutors fulfill their responsibilities efficiently, effectively and ethically. The College accomplishes this goal through the national, state, local and contract courses it offers or coordinates.

National District Attorneys Association
The National District Attorneys Association is the oldest and largest professional organization representing criminal prosecutors in the world. Its members come from the offices of District Attorneys, State's Attorneys, Attorneys General and county and city prosecutors with responsibility for prosecuting criminal violations in every State and territory of the United States.

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
The preeminent organization in the United States advancing the mission of the nation's criminal defense lawyers to ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crime or other misconduct.

International Association of Prosecutors
A non-governmental and non-political organization that is the first and only world organization of prosecutors.  It was established in June 1995 at the United Nations offices in Vienna and was formally inaugurated in September 1996 at its first General Meeting in Budapest. The main impetus leading to its formation was the rapid growth in serious transnational crime, particularly drug trafficking, money laundering and fraud. The need was perceived for greater international co-operation between prosecutors and for greater speed and efficiency in mutual assistance, asset tracking and other international co-operative measures.

National Association of Attorneys General
The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) was founded in 1907 to help Attorneys General fulfill the responsibilities of their office and to assist in the delivery of high quality legal services to the states and territorial jurisdictions. NAAG’s mission is to facilitate interaction among Attorneys General as peers, and to facilitate the enhanced performance of Attorneys General and their staffs.

Daubert Tracker
An online resource for researching Daubert hearings and witnesses who participated in them.  The service recently partnered with the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Law Enforcement Links

National Criminal Justice Association
The NCJA is a national voice in shaping and implementing criminal justice policy since its founding in 1971. As the representative of state, tribal and local criminal and juvenile justice practitioners, the NCJA works to promote a balanced approach to communities' complex public safety and criminal and juvenile justice system problems.

National Sheriff's Association
The National Sheriffs' Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising the level of professionalism among those in the criminal justice field.

International Association of Chiefs of Police
The International Association of Chiefs of Police is the world's oldest and largest nonprofit membership organization of police executives, with over 20,000 members in over 89 different countries.

Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association
The Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) is the largest nonpartisan, professional association, representing exclusively federal law enforcement officers.

National Association of Police Organizations
The National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) is a coalition of police unions and associations from across the United States that serves to advance the interests of America's law enforcement officers through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education.

Government / Legislative Links

National Institute of Justice
NIJ is the research, development, and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice and is dedicated to researching crime control and justice issues.

National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Counsel
The NLECTC system's regional centers and specialty offices work directly with Federal, State, and local government agencies; community leaders; and scientists to foster technological innovations that result in new products, services, systems, and strategies for the Nation's criminal justice professionals.

President's DNA Initiative
The President's DNA Initiative provides funding, training, and assistance to ensure that forensic DNA reaches its full potential to solve crimes, protect the innocent, and identify missing persons. 

Visible Proofs - Forensic Views of the Body
An outstanding website hosted by the National Library of Medicine, a division of the National Institutes of Health.  Extensive information is provided about the history of forensic medicine and the rise of forensic science


Public Policy Groups / Advocacy

The American Judicature Society
The American Judicature Society (AJS), founded in 1913, is an independent, national, nonpartisan organization of judges, lawyers, and other members of the public who seek to improve the justice system. AJS, which brings a public perspective to justice system issues, has the mission to secure and promote an independent and qualified judiciary and fair system of justice.

Crime Lab Project
The Crime Lab Project is a group of crime writers and their friends and readers who are concerned about the gap between the public's beliefs about the current state of forensic science and the reality faced by the many under-funded, understaffed labs and coroners' offices throughout the country.

The Innocence Network
An affiliation of organizations dedicated to providing pro bono legal and investigative services to individuals seeking to prove innocence of crimes for which they have been convicted and working to redress the causes of wrongful convictions.

The Innocence Project
The Innocence Project was founded in 1992 to assist prisoners who could be proven innocent through DNA testing. To date, 201 people in the United States have been exonerated by DNA testing, including 15 who served time on death row.

Progressive States Network
Progressive States Network advocates progressive actions at the state level. Founded in 2005, the group provides coordinated research and strategic advocacy tools to state legislators and their staffs with the hope of empowering decision-makers.

Truth in Justice
Truth in Justice is an educational non-profit organized to educate the public regarding the vulnerabilities in the U. S. criminal justice system that make the criminal conviction of wholly innocent persons possible.

Reference Note: Each description provided above may be partially or fully quoted from the website linked directly above it.  Please click the link above the description to view the source.

CRIME LAB REPORT
The forensic science authority for journalism, criminal justice, and public policy.