ME/C Archives - Forensics TTA

Publications

The National Institute of Justice’s Report to Congress: Needs Assessment of Forensic Laboratories and Medical Examiner/Coroner Offices

In conducting this needs assessment, the Department identified the importance of strengthening these types of efforts through the increased use and institutionalization of systems-based approaches. Further, this needs assessment compiles demonstrative evidence of how the field adapts to advancements in technology, changes in the volume and types of forensic evidence, and the evolving needs of the justice system, with particular focus on sexual assault evidence backlogs and the opioid crisis.

December 1, 2023

Publications

Strengthening the Medicolegal-Death-Investigation System: Improving Data Systems

The National Science and Technology Council’s Fast-Track Action Committee on Strengthening the Medicolegal-Death-Investigation System (FTAC-SMDIS) was chartered in July 2015 to make strategic policy recommendations at the Federal level on how to address issues related to accessing and working with data generated by ME/C offices. The recommendations outlined in this report suggest a role for the Federal government in enhancing medicolegal-death-investigation (MDI) data infrastructure and quality, and system capacity, by improving coordination among appropriate Departments and Agencies and providing support to ME/C offices.

December 1, 2023

Publications

Strengthening the Medicolegal-Death-Investigation System: Improving Data Systems

This document was developed by the Fast-Track Action Committee on Strengthening the Medicolegal-Death-Investigation System. The document was published by OSTP. (Description taken directly from document)

December 1, 2023

Publications

Strengthening the Medicolegal-Death-Investigation System: Accreditation and Certification A Path Forward

This document provides recommended actions that Departments and Agencies could consider, in a coordinated effort, in order to ensure and possibly accelerate the accreditation and certification of ME/C offices and MDI practitioners, and retention of existing ME/Cs. Consideration of the proposed actions, appropriations to support their implementation, and prioritization and execution of the actions are necessary to provide the United States with a modern, professional, and efficient MDI system that can provide accurate, comparable, and timely data to policymakers, researchers and public health and safety officials.

December 1, 2023

Publications

Needs Assessment of Forensic Laboratories and Medical Examiner/Coroner Offices

The Justice for All Reauthorization Act of 2016 (JFARA) mandated a needs assessment of forensic laboratories, which included an examination of workload, backlog,1 personnel, and equipment needs for both public crime laboratories and medical examiner and coroner (ME/C) offices. In conducting this needs assessment, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) made efforts to integrate literature, stakeholder comments, and feedback from listening sessions in an extensive examination of the forensic science components currently operating in the United States. This community has seen many advances and promising practices in the past decade, some of which are featured in this report. (Description taken directly from report)

December 1, 2023

Publications

National Associate of Medical Examiners (NAME) Inspection and Accreditation Policies and Procedures

The National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME) Inspection and Accreditation (I&A) Program has the explicit purpose of improving the quality of the forensic/medicolegal investigation of death. The accreditation standards emphasize policies and procedures, not professional work product. The accreditation standards represent minimum standards for an adequate medicolegal death investigation system, not guidelines.

December 1, 2023

Publications

NAME Inspection and Accreditation Checklist

NAME accreditation standards are embodied in the Inspection Checklists. The Inspection Checklists provide a realistic assessment of the quality of an office operation. The Inspection Checklist questions are used during an inspection to evaluate whether or not the system/office meets the NAME Standards for Accreditation.

December 1, 2023

Publications

Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices, 2018

Data in this report come from BJS’s 2018 Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices (CMEC), which collected data on personnel, budget, workload, and policies of all ME/C offices in the United States. The 2018 CMEC is the second in a series that began in 2004.

December 1, 2023

Publications

IACME Accreditation Standards Checklist

IACME accreditation standards checklist.

December 1, 2023

Publications

Forensic Genetic Genealogy Laboratory Considerations and Technology Limitations

The application of forensic genetic genealogy (FGG) has technological limitations and will not resolve every case. By taking the time to thoroughly evaluate cases and associated evidence with both local crime laboratory representatives and FGG vendor laboratory representatives, law enforcement investigators can greatly increase the chances of attaining successful case resolutions with FGG. This brief provides the SAKI TTA Team’s guidance on evidence submission based on current successes seen within the field and suggested questions to consider when choosing a FGG laboratory vendor. (Description taken from the SAKI TTA website)

December 1, 2023

Tag: ME/C