Uniting forensics, law, and social science in meaningful and relevant ways, Forensic Science and the Administration of Justice, by Kevin J. Strom and Matthew J. Hickman, is structured around current research on how forensic evidence is being used and how it is impacting the justice system. This unique book—written by nationally known scholars in the field—includes five sections that explore the demand for forensic services, the quality of forensic services, the utility of forensic services, post-conviction forensic issues, and the future role of forensic science in the administration of justice. The authors offer policy-relevant directions for both the criminal justice and forensic fields and demonstrate how the role of the crime laboratory in the American justice system is evolving in concert with technological advances as well as changing demands and competing pressures for laboratory resources.

This report discusses the role of the criminalistics operation within the police and criminal investigation subsystems of the total criminal justice system. It details the investigative and evidence retrieval practices of police agencies that significantly restrict the flow of available physical material to the criminalistics laboratory for examination; and it analyzes aspects of the police investigative process dealing specifically with the search for, recognition, and collection of potential physical evidence at crime scenes.

The aim of FSS is to serve the public by contributing to the administration of justice as an integral part of the Criminal Justice System.